This is CBS I In The World, I'm John Bachelors, Bo Shilai, Communist Party

princeling once upon a time and still is. I go to Bo Shilai as a story that has

at this point an unhappy ending. Bo Shilai remains incarcerated in China, accused

of crimes against the state corruption, his wife accused of murder. However, once upon

a time, a little more than 14 years ago, Bo Shilai was once in future king and I welcome

Gordon Chang to help me through this story because right now Xi Jinping, also a princeling,

is in ascendance apparently with the third term, unprecedented third term of General

Secretary and President. Bo Shilai, as ambition once back in the first decade of the 21st

century, was to become a member of the Standing Committee, which is the absolute boss of China.

It did not happen. Gordon, a very good day to you. Bo Shilai and Xi Jinping were in the

same position in 2007 when decisions were made under Huzhen Tao to elevate one and not

the other. Bo Shilai was turned aside to Chun Shang, a large city where he became the

Communist Party chief. At that point, was Bo under threat? Was she threatened by Bo? They

were both of the same stripe, princelings. Both their fathers had been purged. Both of

them were smart young men. Were they equals at that time?

I don't know if they were equals, but both of them were ambitious, capable figures, and

Xi Jinping rightly saw that Bo Shilai was a threat to him. Xi Jinping has his pretension

of absolute control. We know from history, it's not just Xi Jinping's history, but we know

from history that those who believe that they must have absolute obedience from everyone

around them are constantly threatened and clearly Bo Shilai was someone out there who

see correctly saw it could one day take him down.

Chun Qing, the city government that Bo Shilai was in in charge of, celebrated a revival

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