A Death in the Lucky Holiday Hotel
Page 37
Many in the government might prefer to see the West as the country’s main source of potential instability. And it is true that as China has expanded its investments worldwide, exporting not only cheap goods but also trashy ideological and cultural values, its rapidly modernizing military forces and seemingly insatiable quest for resources have led to more tension abroad, especially with its Asian neighbors. China’s increasingly arrogant behavior and rhetoric, typical of the nouveau riche, is drowning out its diplomatic objectives. Growing domestic nationalism also makes China’s foreign policy more vulnerable to criticism at home, giving the government less room to maneuver amid its global rivals. But unquestionably the greatest danger to the stability of the Chinese government is the Chinese Communist Party—the most vulnerable and volatile elements come from within the party itself. For years, Western analysts have credited Deng Xiaoping for bringing about an orderly institutionalized leadership transition, but the Bo Xilai scandal, brought about by the death of a formerly obscure Englishman, not only scuppered the formula for the 2012 transition but also suggested that the concept of a peaceful transition that ensures the continued dominance of the Communist Party may no longer be possible.
For more than two decades, the party has established a system of supposed meritocracy for all levels of leadership, from the Politburo Standing Committee to state enterprises. The criteria for promotion are based on a candidate’s age, academic degrees, and governing experience or accomplishments. But the process is not governed by open and fair rules. Selections of officials are made by a few party strongmen and elders in a back room. As a consequence, the leadership transition is fraught with conspiracies and fierce factional infighting before the Party Congress. The political elite still relies for advancement on family or personal connections, character assassination, persecution, and as we have seen, even murder. Bo’s misfortune befell him when he conspired with his friends and allies at the top to seize power, only for his opponents to apply a similar conspiratorial method to bring him down. In the ancient Chinese imperial court, succession-related conspiracies and killings were perpetual themes. It is no different in the twenty-first century, now that the Communist Party has become a kleptocratic monarchy in all but name.
In some respects, however, getting rid of Bo is proving more difficult than many anticipated. Bo’s allies and foes are deeply intertwined—sharing common political and economic interests. Under these circumstances it’s hard to move against an opponent without harming or offending elements of one’s own clique, especially as alliances are fluid and constantly shifting. New rounds of political conspiracies are being fomented by the clones of Wang Lijun and Bo Xilai, and more political earthquakes are likely to strike. Observers of contemporary Chinese court politics might not know in what form and how big future political shakeups will be or who will emerge victorious, but the cascading scandals are revealing the vulnerability of the entire China development model—economic development without democratic reforms. In a country where the rulers reject democracy and the public lacks the ability to rise up against the rulers, political coups are constant threats. Until China ends the one-party system, there will not be stability or safety for Chinese citizens or foreign businessmen, corporations, and governments.
The strange death of Neil Heywood in the provincial backwater of the Lucky Holiday Hotel might have passed unnoticed but for the neurotic vulnerability of China’s competing power players and the fundamental rottenness of the system. A police chief with too many enemies and an overambitious politician facing his last chance at the ultimate elevation turned a minor character into a cancer at the center of the body politic, causing the hurried and almost desperate reorganization of its greatest public show. The show—the Party Congress—was kept on the road this time, with the parade of new leaders unfurled, and the overall sense of China’s global rise uninterrupted. But the Chinese Communist Party might not be so lucky next time.
INDEX
Ai Weiwei, 50, 261
American Chamber of Commerce, 111
American imperialism, 11
Anti-Americanism, 52–53
Apple, 11, 108
Apple Daily, 278, 279
Arab Spring, 261, 313
Asiaweek, 265
Asylum, 12, 14, 15, 52, 53, 54, 58, 191–192
Authoritarianism, 63
Bao Si, 198–199
Bao Zheng, 23, 175–176
Barboza, David, 234–237
BASF, 108
BBC Chinese Service, 80, 84, 126
Beautification, 95, 96
Beijing Clique, 144
Beijing Hardwar Repair Factory, 88
Beijing Language and Culture University, 126
Beijing Municipal Party Committee, 94
Beijing Municipal Tourism Bureau, 94
Beijing No. 2 Experiment Primary School, 86
Beijing No. 4 Middle School, 86, 89
Beijing Olympics (2008), 167, 289, 307, 310
Beijing University, 33, 65, 90, 91, 111, 121, 122, 132–133, 156, 265
Beijing University of Post and Telecommunications, 33, 59
“Biaozi.” See Wang Lijun
Biden, Joe, 307
The Biography of Premier Wen Jiabao (Gao Xin), 237
Black Plum, 200
Blogosphere, blogging, 59, 68, 120, 124–125
Bloomberg, 148, 245, 308, 309
Bo Guagua, 91, 99, 164
birth of, 92, 157
corruption allegations against, 74, 195, 277
education of, 160–161, 165
Heywood murder and, 127, 130, 162, 165, 167–168, 180, 182
Xu Ming and, 230
Bo Xicheng, 94
Bo Xilai, 40, 284
anticrime campaign of, 28, 50, 80, 101, 107, 109–113, 195
birth of, 137
Bo Yibo and, 132–138
business policies of, 110–111
Central Commission for Discipline Inspection and, 42, 49, 98, 100, 118, 129, 130, 131, 168, 274, 275
charges against, 275–280
Chinese Communist Party and, 16, 121, 130
in Chongqing, 27, 28, 41, 73, 79, 80, 101, 105–114, 115–117, 121–122, 124, 142, 147–148, 164–165, 237, 242, 258, 262–263, 282–283
Chongqing model of, 83, 111, 115, 134, 243, 269, 296, 298, 309
as commerce minister, 85, 102–104, 104–105, 117, 127, 162, 228
“common prosperity” program of, 79, 108, 263
corruption allegations against, 9–10, 16, 49, 55, 74, 82–83, 123, 128–129, 136, 196, 276–277
criticism of, 114, 119–120
cult of personality and, 100, 114
in Dalian, 92, 94–100, 102, 121, 142, 147–148, 150, 225–227
dismissal of, 120–132
double expulsion of, 130, 274–275, 280–281
early life of, 86–90
elimination of political opponents by, 99–100, 111–112, 113–114, 119–120, 282
Five Chongqing program of, 149
Gu Kailai, marriage to of, 90–92, 98, 137, 156–157, 159–160, 162–163
Gu Kailai, trial of and, 175, 183, 204–205, 272
Heywood murder and, 44, 48, 53–56, 74, 118–119, 125–126, 128, 144, 166, 171–173, 183, 186, 189, 190–191, 272
Hu Jintao and, 57, 75, 76–77, 80, 82–83, 102, 105, 117, 129, 131, 147, 247–248, 262–263, 280, 286, 293
investigation of, 138–150
Jiang Zemin and, 98, 102, 116, 129, 192, 263, 286, 292–294
in Jin County, 90
leftist ideology of, 76, 84
legacy of, 149–150
Li Danyu, marriage to of, 88–89, 90, 91
in Liaoning province, 94, 100–102, 127
Ling Jihua and, 76, 265
Mao Zedong and, 84, 108, 114, 128, 148, 243, 248
media coverage of, 10, 98, 102–103, 105, 114, 120–125, 130, 144, 147, 149, med
National People’s Congress and, 77–84
overseas money transfers of, 9
, 49, 55, 128, 136, 196
Politburo Standing Committee and, 9, 28, 43, 74, 76, 82, 105, 106, 116, 120, 128, 131, 148, 168, 211, 212, 243, 263, 272–273, 274
political ambition of, 43, 106, 115–120
punishment of, 76, 272–275
“Singing Red and Smashing Black” campaign of, 28, 41, 43, 107, 109, 113, 115–116, 164, 179, 195, 242, 251, 298
surveillance program of, 112–113, 144–145
Tieling corruption scandal and, 42–43, 44–46, 172, 186, 189
torture, use of and, 111, 142
Wang Lijun, attempted defection of and, 12, 15, 51, 57, 58, 73, 74, 76, 84, 120, 123, 221, 244, 276, 283, 286
Wang Lijun, corruption allegations against and, 9–10, 61
Wang Lijun, firing of and, 9–10, 47
Wang Lijun partnership with, 5, 7, 8, 26–27, 28, 41
Wang Lijun split with, 41–51, 118, 173
Wen Jiabao and, 80, 83, 103, 105, 117, 120, 128, 134, 148, 195, 196, 212, 229, 236, 242–244, 247–248, 267
womanizing and, 48, 98–99, 132, 149, 162, 187, 230, 277–279
Xi Jingping and, 263, 292, 297–298, 300–301, 304
Xi Jingping, attempted coup against of, 55, 74, 83, 128, 145, 192, 211, 212, 269
Xu Ming and, 26–27, 80, 98, 148, 161, 195, 223, 225–230, 232, 233, 276
Yunnan trip of, 73–76
Zhou Yongkang and, 27, 56, 74, 76, 80, 210–211, 213, 220, 221–222
Bo Yibo, 75, 94, 102, 111, 143, 205, 214, 274, 288, 292
Bo Xilai, early life of and, 86–90
Bo Xilai’s political career and, 85, 100
corruption allegations against, 134–136
decadent lifestyle of, 134–136
early life of, 132–133
imprisonment of, 132
Mao Zedong and, 89, 133–134
purging of, 137
reinstatement of, 89, 136
student protest movement (1989) and, 93, 138
as vice premier, 89, 133, 136, 265
womanizing and, 132, 136–137
Boxun, 9, 10, 14–15, 124, 149, 197, 221, 276, 278, 279
Britain. See United Kingdom (UK)
British Consulate, Guangzhou, China, 45, 53
Buangan, Richard, 14
Buckley, Chris, 83
Bush, George W., 103
Caijing magazine, 113, 282
Calligraphy, 34
Canada, 40
Cao Jianmin, 210
Capital City Red Guards United Action Committee, 87
Capital punishment. See Death penalty
Capitalism, capitalists, 86, 107, 289
CCTV. See Chinese Central Television
Censorship, 5, 12–13, 59, 124–125, 212, 259, 315
Central Commission for Discipline Inspection, 4, 41, 76, 111
Bo Xilai and, 42, 49, 98, 100, 118, 129, 130, 131, 139–147, 168, 274, 275
double regulation practice of, 140, 141, 142
Heywood murder and, 44, 127–128
Jiang Zemin and, 290–291
law and, 142–143
Liaoning province corruption scandal and, 101
political purges of, 143–144
Tieling corruption scandal and, 42, 45
Wang Lijun and, 8, 9, 42, 45, 173, 190
Xu Ming and, 230
Central Guard Bureau, 80, 118, 123
Central Law and Legal Commission, 128
Central Military Commission, 78
Central Party Committee, 76, 80, 89, 106, 123, 129, 130, 136, 139
Central Politics and Law Group, 25
See also Politics and Law Commission
Charter 08, 261
Chen Liangyu, 291–292
Chen Tonghai, 215
Chen Xiaodoing, 20
Chen Xiaoping, 196, 238, 244
Chen Xitong, 144, 290–291, 292
Chen Yun, 115
Cheng Mingliang, 113
Chengdu Municipal Public Security Bureau, 14
Chengdu Provincial State Security Department, 57
Chiang Kai-shek, 133
China, 12–15
calligraphy in, 34
Communist takeover of, 77, 108, 138
corruption in, 3, 7, 92, 141, 204
drug trafficking in, 168–169
economy in, 4, 11, 79, 215, 239–241, 275
energy industry in, 214
European Union and, 103–104
human rights and, 11
international law and, 15
Japan, resistance war against of, 75
legal system in, 175, 218
Nationalist government in, 51, 87, 108, 132, 133, 134, 138, 200
oil industry in, 24, 25, 27, 214–215, 217
one-party system in, 4
poisonous water and, 198
politics and business in, 232–233
propaganda machine in, 5, 23
secrecy and, 13
social problems of, 115, 239–240
trade and, 11, 83, 103–104
U.S. relations with, 11, 52, 234
China Central Television, 129–130
China Coup (Ji Weiren), 64, 267
China Criminal Police University, 53
China Development Bank, 111
China Enterprise Newspaper, 97
China in Perspective website, 205
China National Petroleum Corp. (CNPC), 214–215
China Northeastern Finance University, 33
China Northern Airlines Flight 6136, 100
China University of Petroleum, 214
China Youth League, 89–90, 252–253, 255–257, 265
See also Youth leaguers
Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, 89, 93, 110
Chinese Central Television (CCTV), 177, 202, 209–210, 274, 275, 278
Chinese Civil War, 154
Chinese Communist Party
14th Party Congress (1992) of, 17, 254 17th Communist Party Congress (2007) of, 217, 306, 312
17th Party Congress (2007) of, 105
18th Party Congress (2012) of, 4, 16, 82, 115, 175, 213, 221, 269, 270, 280, 294–300
Bo Xilai and, 16, 121, 130
corruption in, 140
legitimacy of, 115, 240
one-party system in, 313
power struggles in, 143, 204
propaganda and, 122
secrecy and, 138–139
Wang Lijun and, 14, 24
Chinese constitution, 77, 110, 141
Chinese Football Association, 227
Chinese Foreign Ministry, 55, 136, 157, 235
Chinese Princelings (Gao Xin), 313
Chinese Public Security University, 19
Chinese Writers magazine, 158
Chinglish (Broadway show), 126–127
Chongqing, China
anticrime campaign in, 27–29, 35, 39, 82, 101, 107, 109–113
Bo Xilai in, 27, 28, 41, 73, 79, 80, 101, 105–114, 115–117, 121–122, 124, 142, 147–148, 164–165, 237, 242, 258, 262–263, 282–283
corruption in, 29
crime in, 4–5, 27–29
GDP in, 108, 110
People’s Congress (2011) of, 7
police reform in, 28–29, 32
“Singing Red and Smashing Black” campaign in, 28, 41, 43, 81, 164
Wang Lijun in, 4–11, 26–41, 41, 65, 66, 110, 150
Chongqing Daily, 75, 114
Chongqing Detention Center, 37
Chongqing Evening News, 145
Chongqing model, 83, 111, 115, 134, 243, 269, 296, 298, 309
Chongqing Municipal Government, 5, 6, 7, 8, 13
Chongqing Municipal Party Committee, 5, 6, 59, 84
Chongqing Municipal Police Bureau, 33
Chongqing No.3 Intermediate People’s Court, 113
Chongqing No.3 Military Medical University, 50
Chongqing Normal University, 10
Chongqing People’s High Court, 29
Chongqing People’s Intermediate Court, 38
Chongqing Police D
epartment, 60
Chongqing Municipal Public Security Bureau, 6, 8, 29, 36, 44, 66, 82, 168, 169, 183
Chongqing Star TV, 122
Chongqinq People’s Congress (2011), 7
Churchill, Winston, 127
Classic of Accusations (Lai Shijun), 62
CNN, 182
CNPC. See China National Petroleum Corp.
Columbia University, 117
Communism, 87, 107, 134, 216
Communist Party of China. See Chinese Communist Party
Confucius, 109, 120, 258
Conservatives, 236, 253
Corruption, 292
abuse of power and, 29, 52, 66, 193, 276, 282
bribery and, 7, 8, 9, 24, 31, 42, 64, 66, 74, 113, 142, 193, 215, 221, 233, 277
in China, 3, 7, 92, 141
in Chinese Communist Party, 140
in Chongqing, 29
dereliction of duty and, 32, 142
eliminating political opponents and, 4
embezzlement and, 42, 64, 101, 215, 222, 250, 251, 276, 279
extortion and, 24, 221
oil industry and, 24, 25, 214–215
propaganda machine and, 5
Creader.net, 195, 196
Cuba, 262
Cultural Revolution, 51, 59, 87, 88–89, 109, 119, 123, 128, 132, 136, 137, 154, 156, 200, 243, 248, 251, 273, 309
Da Shan, 126
Daily Telegraph, 126
Dalai Lama, 216
Dalian, China
Bo Xilai in, 92, 94–100, 102, 121, 142, 147–148, 150, 225–227
unemployment in, 95
Dalian Daily, 100
Dalian Football Club, 96
Dalian Municipal Government, 96
Dalian Shide Football Club, 227, 230
Death Penalty, 21, 23
Death penalty, 29, 30, 31–32, 37, 65, 66, 67, 112, 113, 142, 215, 218
Democracy, 52, 107, 138, 241, 260, 289
Democracy Forum, 259
Deng Xiaoping, 136, 193, 218, 222, 252, 260, 261, 270, 281, 295, 312, 315
death of, 291, 312
economic reform and, 288–289, 308
elimination of political opponents by, 144
health of, 288
Hu Jintao and, 254–255
Jiang Zemin and, 287–288, 292
Mao Zedong and, 143