Bo Xilai

薄熙来

1949–present

Chongqing Party Secretary
Member of the Politburo
Minister of Commerce

Biography

Bo Xilai (born 3 July 1949) is a Chinese Communist Party official. He served successively as Mayor of Dalian, Governor of Liaoning, and Minister of Commerce, and in 2007 became a member of the Politburo and was appointed Chongqing Party Secretary. During his time in Chongqing, he promoted the 'Chongqing Model', characterised by economic development, cultural campaigns ('singing red songs'), and a crackdown on organised crime, and was regarded as a contender for the Politburo Standing Committee at the 18th Party Congress in 2012. In February 2012, his police chief Wang Lijun entered the US Consulate, triggering a central investigation into Bo Xilai. He was removed as Chongqing Party Secretary in March 2012 and expelled from the Party in September 2012. In September 2013, he was sentenced to life imprisonment for bribery, embezzlement, and abuse of power.

Related Events (1)

2012-02-06

Bo Xilai Scandal

Wang Lijun's entry into the US Consulate General in Chengdu triggered an investigation into Chongqing Party Secretary Bo Xilai; his wife Gu Kailai was convicted of murdering British businessman Neil Heywood, and Bo was subsequently expelled from the Party and imprisoned for corruption and abuse of power.

political