The trial of Bo Xilai is not lacking in drama. China-watchers everywhere have been following the case of the former member of the ruling politburo, who stands accused of corruption and covering up a murder, with great intensity. In China itself, it has captivated scores of followers on Weibo, a hugely popular social media site. Elsewhere there has been much breathless commentary about how the proceedings of the trial marked a new chapter in China’s legal history. But in fact the conduct of the trial may not be as novel as first thought. The real story may be in the other moves under way against other powerful players.
薄熙來案的公審充滿戲劇性。世界各地的中國觀察人士一直在密切跟蹤此案，這名前中共中央政治局委員被控腐敗和掩蓋一起謀殺。在中國國內，這次公審在新浪微博（Weibo，一個擁有大量用戶的社交媒體網站）上引來大批“粉絲”的關注。在世界其他地區，很多人在異常興奮地評述這次公審如何標志著中國法律史揭開了新篇章。但事實上，這次公審行為可能并不像人們最初認為的那樣具有新意。真正的故事可能隱藏在針對其他權勢人物展開的其他行動中。