SINOGRAPH Murder adds twist to Bo
thriller By Francesco Sisci
BEIJING - In a new development in China's
greatest political thriller since the time of Lin
Biao, who died under mysterious circumstances
after a failed coup against Mao Zedong in 1971, on
April 10 Bo Xilai was expelled from the politburo
and the Central Committee of the Chinese Communist
Party (CCP), and put under investigation by the
party's disciplinary commission. He had been
already ousted as CCP head of the megalopolis of
Chongqing.
It is the definitive political
end for the princeling - offspring of a
revolutionary - who until months ago seemed
destined to rise to the pinnacle of power and who
was trying to impose a political "neo-Maoist"
agenda in China. But it is not yet the end of a
story that has many disturbing new implications.
The Chinese leadership, for the first time
in party history, now
feels compelled to
actually keep the public informed of developments
in internal decision-making because of external
factors. Beijing is aware in fact that Wang Lijun
- Bo's former right-hand man and police chief of
Chongqing, whose attempted escape to the American
consulate on February 6 opened the case - gave
sensitive material to the United States.
Beijing does not know for sure what Wang
said to the Americans and what material he handed
to them, if any. The government does not want to
be embarrassed by saying something that the US
could deny or gain an advantage by using Wang's
materials. Beijing feels it has to publicly show
more of its cards in a delicate internal matter
that in the past would have remained secret.
This is only the first veil of the
mystery. Wang's attempted flight - and probably
the first problems for Bo - was apparently
prompted by the death on November 15, under
suspicious circumstances, of Neil Heywood, 41, a
British business associate of Gu Kailai, Bo's
wife, for over 10 years. Heywood also helped get
Bo's son, Bo Guagua, a place to study in Britain
at his elite alma mater, Harrow School.
The man died of a heart attack, according
to a first version, and the body was immediately
cremated. Cremation, for ultra-suspicious
investigators such those in China, is tantamount
to an admission of guilt by people close to Gu. If
the death was really due to natural causes, why
hastily proceed with cremation? That case prompted
the beginning of an investigation on Gu for
suspected murder. That investigation eventually
led to Wang's attempted flight. Gu has been
officially charged with plotting and murdering
Heywood over a business dispute, according to a
story published yesterday by official Xinhua
agency.
Moreover, Heywood was not just a
businessman like so many others. He had been
working for the MI6, the British Foreign
Intelligence Service, and he maintained working
relationships with a private intelligence company,
manned by many former MI6 agents. This fact, the
unclear situation surrounding his death, and the
attempted escape to the US consulate of a police
chief with the rank of deputy minister, multiply
suspicions in Beijing, where paranoia is the
default position in any case.
The story
reeks of betrayal to a foreign country and goes
beyond simple matters of different policies or the
internal settling of scores between top Chinese
leaders. In fact, this case touches on some of the
most sensitive issues in the Chinese system.
Many leaders have sent their children to
study in America or the United Kingdom. Sons,
wives, and relatives all have business relations
or friendships with foreigners, relationships that
sometimes could become suspicious in one way or
another. It is impossible to isolate these
families and totally stop secret communications or
deals that could emerge, so the government could
now consider that it is compelled to be more
directly open with the Americans - in order to
contain leaks from elsewhere.
This could
lead to an evolution in the Chinese system that
will bring about greater openness with the US,
which is regarded in Beijing as "doing well" in
this case. Washington refused to grant Wang
political asylum, and it did not reveal to the
press the contents Wang's statements or the
documents he took to the consulate. Both things
would have caused acute embarrassment for Beijing.
An even broader consideration derives from
this case. In the past 15 years, all great
challenges to the CCP leadership have come from
the left, from the Falungong in 1999 to Bo Xilai
today. This proves the party was too prudent with
its reforms and didn't reform fast enough to
pre-empty those challenges. Realization of this
could now push the party to be bolder on political
reforms.
In any case, Beijing does not
like being forced into choices by outside elements
- and moreover, this does not resolve the question
of the death of Heywood. Why would Gu kill him? In
order to silence him over money? This seems too
little as a motive to embark on serious crime
which would surely arouse Beijing's suspicions. Or
was there something else?
All these
questions remain unanswered and thus we could have
more revelations in the coming weeks or months.
Francesco Sisci is a columnist
for the Italian daily Il Sole 24 Ore and can be
reached at fsisci@gmail.com
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