Despite the media frenzy all over the world, the Bo Xilai affair may have opened a window of opportunity for Chinese leaders to build a consensus for launching serious political reforms. It has become clear that two critical aspects of the Chinese political system - central-local relations and decision-making at the top - need revamping. Top-down political reforms can no longer be postponed, as Premier Wen Jiabao unequivocally stated in his press conference in March. Unfortunately, he never explained how to do it.
While Communist Party theorists have long been arguing that 'incremental democratisation' is the only valid approach, the foundation of such an argument has been undermined by the chain of events triggered by Chongqing police chief Wang Lijun's unauthorised stay at the US consulate in Chengdu in early February.
Bo's dismissal and his wife's arrest are certainly not the end of the story. Beijing's handling of this affair has demonstrated more faults than merits of the existing decision-making system in China. The most obvious is the lack of political transparency at the top, which has backfired on the system.
However, it is true that the party leaders have avoided a 'hard landing' with some skilful piloting, dismissing Bo from his post first, stripping him of all his titles, followed by a criminal investigation.
But the method is a familiar one. A corruption charge is the standard instrument used to deal with political insubordination. Two top officials were brought down the same way, the former Beijing party secretary Chen Xitong, and the former Shanghai party secretary Chen Liangyu. This time, it is lucky for the leadership that there seems to have been a murder to justify such a move.
The fall of Bo and the two Chens have one thing in common: they were all Politburo members assigned to local posts. Historically, how to control local officials who possessed imperial lineage was always a problem. The Politburo is equivalent to the inner circle of the imperial household. Its members, if assigned a local administrative position, can easily overrule any opposition in their jurisdictions as no other party officials can match them in rank and prestige.