By Benjamin Kang Lim and Chris Buckley BEIJING | Fri May 25, 2012 2:07am EDT BEIJING (Reuters) - Chinese President Hu Jintao has demanded senior Communist Party officials stifle tensions over the ousting of ambitious politician Bo Xilai and show unity as they prepare for a change of leadership, sources briefed on recent meetings said. Hu urged the party to close ranks at a meeting of about 200 officials early this month at a Beijing hotel, declaring the downfall of Bo - China's biggest political scandal in two decades - to be an "isolated case", the three sources said.The sources' comments represent the first confirmation of speculation that Hu recently intervened to prevent a wider rift in the party and to resist pressure from some ... Continue reading →

RESEARCH GROUP: Philippine-China brawl a ‘wag the dog’ diversion By Doris C. DumlaoPhilippine Daily Inquirer 8:48 pm | Wednesday, May 23rd, 2012 A placard with drawing of a Philippine warship is displayed during a protest at the Philippines Consulate in Kong Hong on May 11, 2012. The Philippines on Wednesday, May 23, 2012, claimed that China has deployed more government ships and fishing boats in the disputed Scarborough Shoal. AP PHOTO/KIN CHEUNG MANILA, Philippines—Could China be blowing up its territorial brawl with the Philippines over Scarborough Shoal to divert the Chinese people’s attention from two major political scandals currently rocking Asia’s largest economy? A research from leading online local stock brokerage COL Financial thinks so, suggesting that China – which is in the midst of ... Continue reading →

By Tim McLaughlin BOSTON | Thu May 24, 2012 9:04pm BST BOSTON (Reuters) - The son of fallen Chinese politician Bo Xilai graduated from Harvard University's Kennedy School of Government on Thursday, capping a tumultuous academic year that also placed him in the centre of his homeland's biggest leadership crisis in two decades. Bo Guagua, whose perceived lavish lifestyle overseas has created a firestorm on the Internet back in China, wore a black cap and gown with crimson hood when he accepted his diploma at a commencement ceremony in Cambridge, Massachusetts. He flashed a broad smile and joined several hundred other students who came from all corners of the globe to study at the Ivy League school.Bo Guagua received a master's degree in public policy. ... Continue reading →

The Harvard curriculum, specially designed for this program, resembles a midcareer executive course. Housed at the Kennedy School’s Ash Center—the same graduate school Bo Xilai’s son attended—Harvard faculty teach Chinese officials leadership, strategy, and public management. Some of the lectures are given by big-name Harvard professors, including Roger Porter and Joseph Nye. Although the classes are restricted to Chinese officials, these party members have ample opportunity to mix with the school’s faculty and general student body. Borrowing from the case-study method made famous at the university’s business school, the coursework zeroes in on specific topics such as U.S. policy and government, how the media operates, negotiation strategy, and even social media. The classroom work is supplemented by site visits to places like the Massachusetts State ... Continue reading →

More than 1,300 Chongqing police officers who were sidelined by former police chief Wang Lijun have appealed for their cases to be re-examined, with almost half already under review, sources in the municipality say."More than 1,300 rank-and-file and middle-ranking officers have sent their petition letters to the Communist Party's municipal disciplinary inspection commission after the downfall of Wang," said a source close to Chongqing's police force. "More than 500 have been accepted by the discipline watchdog after a preliminary screening process." Former Chongqing party secretary Bo Xilai dismissed Wang as director of the municipality's Public Security Bureau in early February. Wang then fled Chongqing and sought refuge in the United States consulate in Chengdu , the capital of neighbouring Sichuan province. He left the consulate ... Continue reading →