Wen to Bo: Stop with the Maoist rhetoric

It appears Chongqing chief Bo Xilai’s political aspirations have been irrevocably scuppered by China’s head of government after attempts to distance himself from a recent scandal failed.

Addressing press after his closing address to the annual National People’s Congress in Beijing, Premier Wen Jiabao issued what analysts are calling a vague rebuke to Chongqing Communist Party Committee Secretary Bo Xilai.

Bo’s rising political star has fallen in recent months after his long-time police chief and Vice Mayor Wang Lijun showed up at the American consulate in Chengdu, allegedly seeking to asylum. He only left after Chinese authorities ensured he would be transported to Beijing out of harm’s (i.e. Bo’s) way.

Last week, the resilient politician and enemy to organized-crime tried to distance himself from the Wang scandal, saying he was surprised by Wang’s actions and that he trusted the wrong man.

But the episode seems to have permanently damaged Bo’s political image, especially among senior CCP leaders already critical of Bo’s Maoist leanings.

After highlighting the need for widespread “economic structural reform and political structural reform,” Wen warned that if the changes were not made, “the gains we have made in these areas may be lost, and new problems that popped up in the Chinese society will not be fundamentally resolved, and such historical tragedies as the Cultural Revolution may happen again in China.”

This was an apparent reference to Bo’s “red” rhetoric that has come to define his political style. Academics and analysts agree this rebuke probably signalled the end of Bo’s aspirations to become the next member of the Politburo Standing Committee.

“I think there is now little or no chance of [Bo’s] being promoted to the Politburo Standing Committee this year. At the very least, his egoistic showmanship has caused other top leaders to resent him,” China specialist, author, and long-time UCLA Professor Richard Baum told this reporter.

“Has Bo’s position been hurt? Almost certainly,” China specialist at Heritage Foundation Dean Cheng agreed.

“Having campaigned for a position on the Politburo Standing Committee (again, unprecedented, and almost certainly not something everyone in the leadership circle is comfortable with), having [Wang’s defection attempt] happen raises real questions of ‘Just what are you doing?'”

At the presser, Wen also discussed the Wang episode itself, saying the present Chongqing municipal party committee and government (implicitly referring to Bo) must learn from the incident. He added progress had been made in the investigation into the apparent February defection attempt.

The Chongqing Municipal Information Office stated in February that Wang is taking a long-overdue vacation after suffering a mental breakdown. It is thought he is being held in Beijing for the investigation.