China sacks leadership contender Bo Xilai
NOTE: THIS EDIT CONTAINS CONVERTED 4 BY 3 MATERIAL
The first hint came on Wednesday when Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao lashed out at the Chongqing government
(SOUNDBITE) (Mandarin) CHINESE PREMIER WEN JIABAO SAYING:
"The present Chongqing municipal Party committee and the municipal government must reflect seriously and learn from the Wang Lijun incident."
Less than 24 hours later, the Chongqing Communist Party chief Bo Xilai was gone.
Bo was a high profile contender for top leadership, but his position has been the subject of intense speculation, ever since his police chief Wang Lijun disappeared and resurfaced at the U.S. embassy in neighbouring Chengdu.
Wang was eventually persuaded to leave and placed under investigation.
The incident fanned a wave of rumours, including one that Wang had sought asylum.
Analysts say Bo's removal likely ends his chances of promotion, in what will be China's biggest leadership transition in nearly a decade later this year.
Some like Beijing resident Wu shrugged off the news.
(SOUNDBITE) (Mandarin) BEIJING RESIDENT MR. WU SAYING:
"It won't have any effect on us. It's so far removed from us normal people. We always think that we should consider more practical things. For example, after the two sessions, whether oil prices rise, and other practical matters."
Others felt the government was doing the right thing.
(SOUNDBITE) (Mandarin) BEIJING RESIDENT MR. WANG SAYING:
"If there's a problem, it's for the central leadership to decide. That's how the people see it. This is how it works with the party -- they have to face up to their achievements and mistakes. Right is right, wrong is wrong. Even senior leaders should be punished if they do something wrong, or if they break the law."
Chongqing is a southwestern municipality of over 30 million, which Bo had turned into a bastion for Mao Zedong-inspired policies.
Chongqing registered one of China's highest rates of economic growth last year.
Arnold Gay, Reuters.
