http://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-china-26349305
Convicted on corruption charges and leaking state secrets, another of Bo Xilai's acolytes gets sentenced to life in prison. Truthfully the charge could have been anything. Corruption among Communist party apparatchiks is a laughable thing to be investigated for given the regularity of graft. Xi Jinping is gaining legitimacy by showing a restless population that his war on corruption is real. The immediate purpose of the trial is for show and to get rid of powerful leaders outside of president Xi's faction. The larger purpose though is to protect the Communist party and its position as the leader of the world's largest country. Evan Osnos of the New Yorker wrote a great piece on Xi Jinping and his realistic understanding that the party's control is tenuous and must be seen to be acting in the interest of the people. One quick look at the "Arab Spring" from a few years ago proves how quickly populations can overthrow governments. China is hardly Egypt, but stirrings of discontentment have started already in Hong Kong this last year. I am curious to see what happens in the mainland, as well as the government's reaction to it. The next few years will set the tone for the Xi regime.
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