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China's official media and vast censorship apparatus moved quickly on Wednesday to stem any dissent from supporters of suspended Politburo member Bo Xilai, mounting a campaign in the pages of official newspapers to denounce Mr. Bo while clamping down on any criticism of the move to sideline the popular politician.
The Communist Party of China's (CPC) official People's Daily newspaper said in a strongly-worded editorial that Mr. Bo, who was on Tuesday suspended from the powerful 25-member Politburo for “serious discipline violations”, had caused “damage to the cause and the image of the Party and State”.
The son of a famous Communist revolutionary leader, Mr. Bo was until recently seen as a key member of the next generation of the leadership. He fell from grace after his once close associate Wang Lijun, the police chief in the municipality of Chongqing where he served as party secretary, turned up at a U.S. consulate in Chengdu on February 6 seeking asylum.
The two had reportedly fallen out following the death of a British businessman, Neil Heywood, in Chongqing last year. His death was initially blamed by authorities on excessive alcohol consumption. But Mr. Wang claimed he had evidence that Heywood, who was a close associate of the Bo family, had been poisoned.
Authorities said on Tuesday they were investigating Mr. Bo's wife, Gu Kailai, over his death and had detained her along with an “orderly” from the Bo household on the suspected crime of intentional homicide.
The People's Daily in its editorial said the Wang Lijun incident was “a serious political event leaving very negative impacts at home and abroad”, while Heywood's death was “a serious criminal case involving the family and close staff of a Party and state leader”.
The sidelining of Mr. Bo has been seen by Chinese analysts as among the biggest political scandals to hit the Communist Party after the purging of liberal leader Zhao Ziyang during the Tiananmen Square protests two decades ago.
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Reflecting fears of dissent over the popular politician's removal, the People's Daily called for the “firm support for the correct decision” and for “people to maintain a high level of ideological unity with the CPC Central Committee”. “The Party does not tolerate any special member who is above the law,” it said. “No one can interfere with law enforcement and anyone who violates the law could not be at large.”
While official newspapers denounced Mr. Bo, censors worked overtime to remove any message of support on microblogs or websites. News of his suspension and the investigations targeting his wife were widely discussed on microblogs on Wednesday. Though searches under his name were being restricted, netizens cryptically posted more than 200,000 messages on the “big news”.
The scandal has been seen by the bloggers as a first in being played out, at least in part, in the public domain rather than behind the closed doors of the Central leadership compound. News of Mr. Wang hiding at the U.S. Embassy first broke on Sina Weibo, which emerged as a platform for both news and debate even as the state media remained silent over Mr. Bo's fate until Tuesday's announcement.
But many of the leaks that spread through Weibo came from the authorities, according to Chinese blogger and journalist Michael Anti, who said it reflected a new approach to “guide public opinion” rather than a real challenge to the state's monopoly over information.
The Communist Party of China's (CPC) official People's Daily newspaper said in a strongly-worded editorial that Mr. Bo, who was on Tuesday suspended from the powerful 25-member Politburo for “serious discipline violations”, had caused “damage to the cause and the image of the Party and State”.
The son of a famous Communist revolutionary leader, Mr. Bo was until recently seen as a key member of the next generation of the leadership. He fell from grace after his once close associate Wang Lijun, the police chief in the municipality of Chongqing where he served as party secretary, turned up at a U.S. consulate in Chengdu on February 6 seeking asylum.
The two had reportedly fallen out following the death of a British businessman, Neil Heywood, in Chongqing last year. His death was initially blamed by authorities on excessive alcohol consumption. But Mr. Wang claimed he had evidence that Heywood, who was a close associate of the Bo family, had been poisoned.
Authorities said on Tuesday they were investigating Mr. Bo's wife, Gu Kailai, over his death and had detained her along with an “orderly” from the Bo household on the suspected crime of intentional homicide.
The People's Daily in its editorial said the Wang Lijun incident was “a serious political event leaving very negative impacts at home and abroad”, while Heywood's death was “a serious criminal case involving the family and close staff of a Party and state leader”.
The sidelining of Mr. Bo has been seen by Chinese analysts as among the biggest political scandals to hit the Communist Party after the purging of liberal leader Zhao Ziyang during the Tiananmen Square protests two decades ago.
Online debate
Reflecting fears of dissent over the popular politician's removal, the People's Daily called for the “firm support for the correct decision” and for “people to maintain a high level of ideological unity with the CPC Central Committee”. “The Party does not tolerate any special member who is above the law,” it said. “No one can interfere with law enforcement and anyone who violates the law could not be at large.”
While official newspapers denounced Mr. Bo, censors worked overtime to remove any message of support on microblogs or websites. News of his suspension and the investigations targeting his wife were widely discussed on microblogs on Wednesday. Though searches under his name were being restricted, netizens cryptically posted more than 200,000 messages on the “big news”.
The scandal has been seen by the bloggers as a first in being played out, at least in part, in the public domain rather than behind the closed doors of the Central leadership compound. News of Mr. Wang hiding at the U.S. Embassy first broke on Sina Weibo, which emerged as a platform for both news and debate even as the state media remained silent over Mr. Bo's fate until Tuesday's announcement.
But many of the leaks that spread through Weibo came from the authorities, according to Chinese blogger and journalist Michael Anti, who said it reflected a new approach to “guide public opinion” rather than a real challenge to the state's monopoly over information.