China Politics: Regional Leader Ousted

This article is currently on the front page of the New York times. While it does not directly deal with energy, it is a very interesting piece that ties together what we have learned about Chinese Politics (which directly influence energy policy). Bo Xilai, the Communist Party Chief of Chongqing Municipality was removed from his post Wednesday. He was expected to be one of the seven new members to be brought up to the Standing Committee of the Politburo (that group of all powerful 9 men that essentially run China) but has now lost favor with the party. Bo had strong leftest tendencies: he revived Cultural Revolution era songs and developed the 'Chongqing Model' of economic development which focused on infrastructure spending and tending to the needs of the poor. The government feared that he would bring back the 'Chaos' of the cultural revolution. http://www.nytimes.com/2012/03/16/world/asia/bo-xilai-ousted-from-communist-party-post-in-china.html?hp