CHINA-LEADERSHIP: BO XILAI'S LINGERING INFLUENCE
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The official Chongqing Daily reported on July 25, 2017, that the city had called a special meeting of senior cadres the previous day following Beijing’s decision to investigate Sun Zhengcai, once seen as a candidate for the next generation of Chinese leadership. The meeting was led by Chen Miner, a close associate of Xi Jinping who replaced Sun Zhengcai as the Party Secretary for Chongqing earlier this month. A statement released after the meeting said “It is the number one political requirement to defend the core status of General Secretary Xi Jinping. [We] will proactively prevent and properly respond to possible sensitive events and negative impact[s].” The Chongqing Daily also said that during the meeting on July 24, Chongqing officials reiterated the need to completely clean up the “pernicious legacy” of the pair.
(Comment: (i) Sun Zhengcai is the first incumbent member of the 25-strong Politburo to be placed under the party’s internal interrogation since Xi Jinping launched a sweeping anti-corruption campaign in 2012.
(ii) Interesting also is that in Sun Zhengcai’s case the Central Discipline Inspection Commission (CDIC) did not even bother to disguise Sun Zhengcai's dismissal as on charges of corruption, making it apparent that it is a political purge. Sun Zhengcai is suspected of not demonstrating enough loyalty to the “core” and not engaging in enough anti-Bo Xilai propaganda.)
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