ASSESSMENTS

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

Apr 19, 2012 | 18:28 GMT

A Communist Party of China member swears in front of the Party emblem

China Photos/Getty Images

Summary

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. 

There is no agreement on how to achieve Party reform....

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