State news agency Xinhua reported that China has removed prominent politician Bo Xilai from his post as Chongqing’s Communist Party leader. Vice Premier Zhang Dejiang will replace Bo, said the Xinhua report.
This is another major development following last month’s scandal involving Bo’s former chief of police, Wang Lijun. It began when Wang, the police chief Bo had promoted, spent a day at the US Consulate in Chengdu. Chinese security forces from Beijing detained him when he came out. Although Bo was not formally linked to this case – and denied he was involved – many believed it would tarnish him.
China’s state-run Xinhua said only that Bo has been replaced as Party chief in Chongqing. The move came a day after the end of the country’s annual parliamentary session, the National People’s Congress (NPC), where Bo’s absence from a meeting sparked speculation about his future. After a long silence, he spoke last week about the incident with his ex-police chief, answering questions from journalists at a meeting on the sidelines of the NPC. He said he never imagined Wang would run off. Speaking at a meeting of Chongqing delegates, Bo said that it came suddenly. "I feel like I put my trust in the wrong person," he added.
Source: Xinhua, March 15, 2012
http://news.xinhuanet.com/politics/2012-03/15/c_2111657329.htm