China doesn't need more show trials
Chang Ping laments that Chinese people still don't know the full facts of the Bo Xilai case, after two trials that betrayed Beijing's pledge for a prosecution that would stand the test of law
During the trial of the Gang of Four in the winter of 1980, Jiang Qing delivered a two-hour tirade in her own defence, during which she famously described herself as a dog of Mao Zedong. More than 30 years later, another political wife stood accused in a Chinese court of law, one believed to have been similarly corrupted by the power wielded by her husband.
But there were no hysterics from Gu Kailai, the wife of former Chongqing party secretary Bo Xilai. Handed a suspended death sentence for murder, she appeared calm and said she accepted it.
People disappointed by the scripted proceedings of Gu's trial then placed their hopes for answers in the trial of Wang Lijun. After all, this was a man who one day dramatically fled to the US consulate; he may again surprise at the trial with revelations about Bo that the authorities were trying to suppress. So much for that. People at the closed-door trial reported that the former Chongqing police chief appeared pained and determined - like a fallen hero awaiting his fate.
Wang was jailed for 15 years, and he too said he would not appeal. He reportedly told the court: "As for the crimes that the prosecution has charged me with, I understand them, I admit to them and I am repentant for them. For the party organisation, people and relatives that have cared for me, I want to say here, sincerely, I'm very, very sorry, I've let you down."
Once again, a disappointed public found themselves no wiser after the trial. As the court testimony makes clear, one key fact stood out in the description of his downfall from powerful vice-mayor and top crime-buster to beleaguered asylum seeker and prisoner: after he reported to Bo that Gu was suspected of killing someone, he was "angrily rebuked and slapped in the face by the officer".
This was the slap that changed the course of history. Yet, during the two-day trial, Bo's name was not even mentioned; court documents spoke instead of "the Chongqing party committee's main person responsible at the time". This is how we know we've been treated to a show.