Bo Xilai charges called a victory against overly powerful 'tiger'
As the widely anticipated news of former Chongqing party secretary Bo Xilai's indictment emerged on Thursday, Chinese state media have rushed to mend ties with his Chongqing supporters.
As the widely anticipated news of former Chongqing party secretary Bo Xilai's indictment emerged on Thursday, Chinese state media have rushed to mend ties with his Chongqing supporters.
Bo - whose charges include accepting bribes of 20 million yuan (HK$25.1 million) and embezzling 5 million yuan - continues to this day to enjoy popularity in his stronghold Chongqing, a city of 29 million people, where many say he fought organised crime and invested in housing and urban renewal.
The article was published three minutes before Xinhua released the news of Bo's indictment on charges of bribery, corruption and abuse of power in Jinan, the capital of Shandong province.
The central leadership "has high hopes for party and state officials at all levels, and has [feelings of] inspiration and trust towards the Chongqing leadership at all levels, the party and state officials and the masses", the People's Daily wrote.
A comment piece by Xinhua state news agency was more straightforward in its explanation why the son of the early Communist Party hero Bo Yibo had to fall from grace: a local "tiger" had become too powerful.