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Anti-graft probe against ex-security czar boosts Xi's image

Last Updated 30 July 2014, 10:29 IST

Emerging as China's most powerful leader in the last three decades, Chinese President Xi Jinping has consolidated his powerbase with the ruling Communist party launching an anti-graft probe against former security czar Zhou Yongkong who could face a suspended death sentence.

Zhou, 71, who retired from the country's all-powerful Politburo Standing Committee (PSC) of the Communist party in 2012, also held the most powerful post as the head of the country's national security.

Zhou is under investigation for "serious disciplinary violation," the party announced yesterday.

Chinese official media hailed in unison that the anti graft probe against Zhou, who was all powerful under former President Hu Jintao's leadership, as the most audacious move by Xi.

Xi, 61, who took over power last year as the head of the Army and the CPC, is regarded as the most powerful leader after Deng Xiaoping who succeeded Mao Zedong three decades ago.

"This is a big deal," said Professor Steve Tsang, director of the China Policy Institute at the University of Nottingham in Britain.

"It breaks the convention that Politburo Standing Committee members are untouchable for criminal transgressions," he told Hong Kong based South China Morning Post.

Other analysts and party sources said the announcement was intended to reduce behind-the-scenes struggles among top power holders and reunite the party under one banner ahead of a key gathering next month.

"The announcement suggests leaders have finally agreed on major policy issues, which will be finalised at the summer summit at Beidaihe," Zhang Ming, a professor of political science at Renmin University said.

The Beidaihe summit (an informal conclave of senior Chinese party leaders) is traditionally held in August.

Experts say Zhou, like his key party ally and disgraced leader Bo Xilai, would eventually face public prosecution.

After public trial, Bo had been sentenced to life imprisonment.

Their downfalls are possibly linked. Zhou was said to be a political patron of Bo. The two had allegedly teamed up in a failed attempt to grab power, the Post report said.

"I believe Zhou is likely to be tried in public just like Bo. And he will receive a harsher penalty of a suspended death sentence," Zhang said.

Du Guang, a retired professor at the Central Party School, said it would be difficult to expose all the alleged crimes that Zhou had committed because "it would bring a much bigger crisis for the party".

He agreed Zhou's case was likely to be heard in public. A person connected with the party inner circle said Zhou had tried to meet former president Jiang Zemin, who was seen as his political patron.

"But Jiang turned down all the requests," the Post report said.

After Beidaihe summit, the leadership announced a key meeting for all party elite to be held in October to decide policy direction.

President Xi said yesterday the rule of law would top the agenda at this meeting, the fourth plenary of the 18th Party Congress.

Given that Zhou had been in charge of law and order before his retirement, the public announcement of his corruption case will give Xi tremendous political credibility to reform the outdated legal regime, the Post report said.

Investigations against Zhou with his "crimes" were the banner headlines of all the statements here, with generous praise for Xi for the courageous act.

Shortly after the Xinhua announcement yesterday a commentary by People's Daily said Zhou would not be "the last tiger" to be investigated for corruption.

"Some corrupted party members hold tremendous power in their hands. Their roots are deep and connections wide. Fighting them is not easy. But we must do it. Otherwise the people will not go with us," it said.

"After all, before him, no one at the very core of the national leadership, in the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, had been the official subject of disciplinary action", state-run China Daily said in its editorial.

"Whether or not the anti-corruption probes would stop short of touching Zhou was viewed as a touchstone of Xi's pledge to take on the "tigers" as well as the "flies", it said.

"Widespread corruption inside the Party has raised serious questions about the efficacy of its self-regulation.

Another daily, the Global Times said the effect of Zhou's downfall will be felt profoundly in Chinese society.

"As the first Political Bureau Standing Committee member, retired or sitting, to be investigated in this anti-corruption campaign, this news has dramatically changed many people's thoughts on how far this campaign will continue", it said.

"Zhou dug his own grave, and his misdeeds have caused a loss to the country.His relatives and underlings also followed him to a bitter end", it said.

"The downfall of Zhou will not be the end of anti- corruption campaign. It is an outdated mindset to think that the campaign is only meant to "kill the chicken to scare the monkey," the daily said.

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(Published 30 July 2014, 10:29 IST)

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