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| Bo Xilai trial: five things we've learned | Bo Xilai trial: five things we've learned |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| 1. The Chinese Communist party can put on a riveting show | 1. The Chinese Communist party can put on a riveting show |
| Nobody was expecting the trial of Bo Xilai, the disgraced Chongqing party boss, to be a wild political drama full of name-calling, scathing cross-examinations, and revelations of adultery, violence, wild extravagance and deceit. China's courts are party-controlled, high-profile political events are tightly scripted, and criminal cases usually end unfavourably for the defendant within hours. But over the past five days, the party made its first stab in recent memory at presenting a convincing facade of a fair and open trial, including live testimony, compelling evidence and a spirited defence. Observers expressed shock that witnesses were even called to the stand, never mind the TV-style personal drama that followed. On Sunday, Bo, 64, admitted to an extramarital affair; the next day, he accused his former deputy of courting his wife. The Jinan intermediate people's court live-tweeted the proceedings on Sina Weibo, the country's most popular microblog, in what state media called an "unprecedented" display of transparency representing "historic progress for the rule of law in China." | Nobody was expecting the trial of Bo Xilai, the disgraced Chongqing party boss, to be a wild political drama full of name-calling, scathing cross-examinations, and revelations of adultery, violence, wild extravagance and deceit. China's courts are party-controlled, high-profile political events are tightly scripted, and criminal cases usually end unfavourably for the defendant within hours. But over the past five days, the party made its first stab in recent memory at presenting a convincing facade of a fair and open trial, including live testimony, compelling evidence and a spirited defence. Observers expressed shock that witnesses were even called to the stand, never mind the TV-style personal drama that followed. On Sunday, Bo, 64, admitted to an extramarital affair; the next day, he accused his former deputy of courting his wife. The Jinan intermediate people's court live-tweeted the proceedings on Sina Weibo, the country's most popular microblog, in what state media called an "unprecedented" display of transparency representing "historic progress for the rule of law in China." |
| 2. Bo has not been cowed | 2. Bo has not been cowed |
| In the 18 months since he was detained, Bo's conditions or whereabouts had been a popular topic of conjecture – overseas Chinese-language news sites reported that he had grown a beard and staged a hunger strike in prison. Yet when Bo appeared for the first time in court photographs on Thursday, standing confidently in the dock, he appeared as the very same charismatic official who had captivated domestic and international media for decades, looking dapper in a white collared shirt, his hair dyed jet-black. Bo then delivered a stirring performance – he attempted to discredit the prosecution's main witnesses, calling his former deputy "vile" and his wife "insane". | In the 18 months since he was detained, Bo's conditions or whereabouts had been a popular topic of conjecture – overseas Chinese-language news sites reported that he had grown a beard and staged a hunger strike in prison. Yet when Bo appeared for the first time in court photographs on Thursday, standing confidently in the dock, he appeared as the very same charismatic official who had captivated domestic and international media for decades, looking dapper in a white collared shirt, his hair dyed jet-black. Bo then delivered a stirring performance – he attempted to discredit the prosecution's main witnesses, calling his former deputy "vile" and his wife "insane". |
| 3. Ordinary Chinese people care about high-level politics | 3. Ordinary Chinese people care about high-level politics |
| Ask a Chinese store clerk, or bus driver, or accountant for their opinions on the country's high-level political affairs, and you'll most likely be met with a shrug. Authorities censor and distort political information that's released to the public, and citizens lack the ability to vote, leading to a nearly ubiquitous air of political apathy. Yet Bo's trial has demonstrated that when the veil is lifted, people will rush to see what lies behind. The Jinan court gained hundreds of thousands of Weibo followers soon after the trial started, and many of its microblog posts went viral seconds after they were posted. Bo's trial has been the No 1 trending topic on Weibo for nearly a week. | Ask a Chinese store clerk, or bus driver, or accountant for their opinions on the country's high-level political affairs, and you'll most likely be met with a shrug. Authorities censor and distort political information that's released to the public, and citizens lack the ability to vote, leading to a nearly ubiquitous air of political apathy. Yet Bo's trial has demonstrated that when the veil is lifted, people will rush to see what lies behind. The Jinan court gained hundreds of thousands of Weibo followers soon after the trial started, and many of its microblog posts went viral seconds after they were posted. Bo's trial has been the No 1 trending topic on Weibo for nearly a week. |
| 4. China's top leaders and their families live as extravagantly as imagined | 4. China's top leaders and their families live as extravagantly as imagined |
| Bo was accused of receiving millions of pounds in bribes from two businessmen between 2000 and 2012 – piddling amounts of money compared with what elite Chinese politicians regularly exchange in under-the-table dealings. Yet trial testimony shed light on how this money was spent, and the details were astonishing. Xu Ming, a tycoon in the north-eastern city of Dalian and a Bo family friend, bought the powerful politician's wife and son luxurious trips to Argentina, Venice and Paris, a private flight from Dubai to Tanzania, a villa on the French riviera, expensive watches, a Segway – even expensive seafood. For many onlookers, understanding that a hidden world of elite privilege exists is one thing; seeing it under a microscope is something else entirely. | Bo was accused of receiving millions of pounds in bribes from two businessmen between 2000 and 2012 – piddling amounts of money compared with what elite Chinese politicians regularly exchange in under-the-table dealings. Yet trial testimony shed light on how this money was spent, and the details were astonishing. Xu Ming, a tycoon in the north-eastern city of Dalian and a Bo family friend, bought the powerful politician's wife and son luxurious trips to Argentina, Venice and Paris, a private flight from Dubai to Tanzania, a villa on the French riviera, expensive watches, a Segway – even expensive seafood. For many onlookers, understanding that a hidden world of elite privilege exists is one thing; seeing it under a microscope is something else entirely. |
| 5. Some things stay the same | 5. Some things stay the same |
| Theatrics aside, the party has left no doubt about who is in control. The outcome of the case has almost certainly been determined well in advance – Bo will be convicted on every charge, and go to jail for at least a decade. Bo was not allowed to appoint his own lawyers; foreign media were barred from the courtroom. On Monday, transcripts suddenly disappeared from the court's Weibo feed and were reposted moments later with paragraphs missing. State media, a widely accepted barometer of high-level political consensus, unanimously and severely censured Bo for his defiance. The People's Daily, a Communist party mouthpiece, called evidence against him "irrefutable". Bo's performance was convincing, but he never stood a chance. | |
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