Though Bo Xi Lai may be standing trial, and Wang Li Jun is incarcerated for 15 years, not much has been heard of the others that were involved in Bo's wheeling and dealing in Chongqing. With some quick thinking and a lot of apologising,
senior cadres in Chongqing are escaping trial, showing the uncertainty with which the Party is progressing with it's supposed crackdown on graft.
Wen Jia Bao was especially critical of the Chongqing party secretariat, reminding everyone who'd listen in one of his final speeches that a return to the more right-wing, Maoist era politicking that Bo was fond of would be a disaster for the country. Ironically, it was a Mao era self-criticism that saved Huang's skin. Part confession, part denouncement, it served to distance him from Bo's antics, and secure his future.
In the good old days, the mayor of the city, Huang Qi Fan described the relationship he was with his boss, Bo, as "like fish and water", neatly fitting in with Hu Jin Tao's "harmonious society" schtick. Finding out exactly how fast your friends can forget you in Chinese politics, and Huang wasted no time in denouncing Bo and his ilk, promising that the excesses of his reign will never be repeated. Although a few junior heads have rolled, the Global Times take on corruption seems to be ringing truer than ever - corruption doesn't need to be eradicated, just brought down to a level that is acceptable to the people.
