China: Bo, Wen and the Question of 'Party Reform'

A Xinhua editorial published in the official English-language China Daily on April 18 argued that the current investigation of former Chongqing Party Secretary Bo Xilai and his family did not "indicate a political struggle within the [Communist] Party." The editorial further noted that the scandal and investigation would not impede China's development; that "consensus and unity" within the Party and between it and the people remained a strong foundation of China's success; and that success in China "hinges on the Party."

Despite this positive assessment, the Party is struggling to preserve its legitimacy among the Chinese people at a time of changing economic and social circumstances in China. Bo's rise to prominence through his neo-Maoist policies and Premier Wen Jiabao's calls for a Party more responsive to the people, as well as his public criticism of Bo's methods, reflect the internal debate over the need for, and method of, Party reform.