Sino File | When we say ‘new order’ of the Chinese Communist Party, what exactly are we talking about?
Chongqing party chief Sun Zhengcai’s fall from grace, long groomed for future leadership, suggests the end of longstanding institutional rules
Chongqing party chief Sun Zhengcai’s sudden fall from grace has followed a familiar pattern in modern Chinese politics, evoking memories of three of his peers who suffered a similar fate in recent decades.
His predecessor Bo Xilai five years ago, former Beijing party boss Chen Xitong in 1995 and ex-Shanghai party boss Chen Liangyu in 2006 were all jailed on bribery charges, embezzlement and abuse of power while also being accused of political wrongdoings.
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They were all party chiefs of centrally controlled municipalities and were rising political stars with great potential to challenge incumbent leaders.
The current leadership is not hiding its political motivations for Sun’s prosecution. A recent party statement said “Sun’s faith and belief [in communism] was shaken” and “totally deviated from the Party spirit and political requirements on senior officials, betrayed the trust of the Central Committee and the people”.
Xi said they all “engaged in political conspiracy activities”.
