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| Version 3 | Version 4 |
|---|---|
| Bo Xilai trial: five things we've learned | Bo Xilai trial: five things we've learned |
| (25 days later) | |
| The Chinese Communist party can put on a riveting show | 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 the party made its first stab in recent memory at presenting a convincing facade of a fair and open trial. Observers expressed shock that witnesses were even called to the stand, never mind the TV-style personal drama that followed. | 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 the party made its first stab in recent memory at presenting a convincing facade of a fair and open trial. Observers expressed shock that witnesses were even called to the stand, never mind the TV-style personal drama that followed. |
| Bo has not been cowed | Bo has not been cowed |
| Bo appeared the same charismatic official who had captivated domestic and international media for decades. He then delivered a stirring performance – attempting to discredit the prosecution's main witnesses, calling his former deputy "vile" and his wife "insane". | Bo appeared the same charismatic official who had captivated domestic and international media for decades. He then delivered a stirring performance – attempting to discredit the prosecution's main witnesses, calling his former deputy "vile" and his wife "insane". |
| Ordinary Chinese people care about high-level politics | Ordinary Chinese people care about high-level politics |
| 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. It has been the No 1 trend on Weibo for nearly a week. | 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. It has been the No 1 trend on Weibo for nearly a week. |
| China's top leaders and their families live as extravagantly as imagined | 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. | 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. |
| Some things stay the same | 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. | 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. |
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