- Title: CHINA: China wraps up key meeting with Bo Xilai expulsion
- Date: 4th November 2012
- Summary: BEIJING, CHINA (FILE - MARCH 2010) (REUTERS) BO SEATED IN CHONGQING MUNICIPAL SESSION OF THE NATIONAL PEOPLE'S CONGRESS BO SPEAKING REPORTERS AND PHOTOGRAPHERS BO WALKING AWAY
- Embargoed: 19th November 2012 12:00
- Keywords:
- Location: China
- City:
- Country: China
- Topics: Politics
- Reuters ID: LVAA1VKG11YDFSVP16FO7WDAXQTI
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- Story Text: China wraps up a four-day plenum meeting with a decision to formally expel disgraced politician Bo Xilai from the Communist Party, state media reports.
Chinese leaders ended a key closed-door conclave on Sunday (November 4) with a decision to formally expel disgraced politician Bo Xilai from the Communist Party, in a meeting which also promoted two senior military men and approved the party constitution's amendment, state media said.
The secretive four-day meeting of 365 senior party officials ratified an earlier decision to expel Bo, former Chongqing party boss, as well as Liu Zhijun, one-time railway minister, sacked last year for "serious disciplinary violations", state news agency Xinhua said.
Bo and Liu can now be expected to face criminal charges and a trial.
Another announcement from the plenum was the appointments of two new chairmen to the party's powerful Central Military Commission that oversees the People's Liberation Army and China's rapid defence modernisation efforts.
Former air force commander Xu Qiliang and Fan Changlong, the head of the important Jinan military region which oversees large parts of eastern China, will join that body, Xinhua said.
The plenum also approved an amendment to the party charter, Xinhua said.
It did not identify the change, but there has been speculation the party may strip out mention of the ideology of late paramount leader Mao Zedong, known as "M a o Zedong Thought".
The government accused Bo in September of corruption and of bending the law to hush up his wife's murder of a British businessman. While she has since been jailed, Bo has yet to be formally charged.
Liu was fired early last year over corruption charges. His reputation was further marred after a train crash in China a few months later killed 40 people. Although the accident happened after Liu's dismissal, the government said he was primarily responsible as safety standards at the rail ministry had slipped under his watch.
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