More signs have emerged of a fierce power struggle in China’s political system, with the departure of an associate of Bo Xilai, the most high-profile contender for a position in the leadership of the country’s Communist party.
The government of Chong-qing, the municipality in which Mr Bo is party chief, said yesterday that Wang Lijun, the former police chief who had led the gang-busting campaign to which Mr Bo largely owes his political credentials, had gone on stress leave.
“It is understood that long-term overwork has left vice-mayor Wang Lijun suffering from immense mental stress and seriously indisposed,” said the Chongqing government in its official microblog. “He is undergoing vacation-style treatment right now.”