Fewsmith in NYT and Bloomberg: Ling Jihua’s Lurid Downfall
Joseph Fewsmith, Professor of International Relations and Political Science at the Frederick S. Pardee School of Global Studies at Boston University, said the downfall of China Communist Party official Ling Jihua was an opportunity for President Xi Jinping to eliminate a political rival.
Fewsmith made the case in a July 20 article in the New York Times on Jihua’s ouster on corruption charges, which have commanded international attention. The article was entitled “Top Chinese Official Is Ousted From Communist Party.”
From the text of the article:
The decision to prosecute Mr. Ling, who once held a position akin to that of White House chief of staff under Mr. Hu, is the latest move by Mr. Hu’s successor, President Xi Jinping, as he seeks to scour the party of official corruption while purging his political rivals, experts say.
“This is absolutely about rooting out the people Xi perceives as working against him,” said Joseph Fewsmith, a professor at Boston University who specializes in politics among China’s elite.
Mr. Ling’s spectacularly lurid downfall began in 2012 when he was demoted following reports that his son had been killed in a high-speed crash driving a Ferrari on a Beijing road. Two female passengers were injured in the accident, and one of them later died. According to party officials, Mr. Ling went to great lengths to cover up the crash, with the families of both women paid enormous amounts of hush money.
You can read the entire article here.
Fewsmith was further quoted on the issue in a July 20 article in Bloomberg entitled “China Communist Party Expels Former Hu Jintao Aide on Bribes.”
From the text of that article:
Joseph Fewsmith, a politics professor at Boston University who specializes in elite Chinese politics, said the use of the phrase “a large quantity of party and state core secrets” to describe the secrets in Ling’s case was interesting and probably indicated he would face a secret trial, like Zhou. While Zhou was convicted of leaking state secrets, they were never described as central to the party.
“That is a very curious phrase,” Fewsmith said. “Ling of course handled secret information every day.”
You can read the entire article here.
Fewsmith also serves as Director of Undergraduate Studies at the Pardee School. Learn more about him here.