BEIJING: An ex-police chief whose shocking visit to a US consulate led to the fall of a prominent Chinese politician has resigned from the national legislature, state media reported yesterday, a sign that he might be a step closer to formal arrest and trial.
Wang Lijun, the former police chief of south China’s Chongqing metropolis, asked to resign from the National People’s Congress, and the standing committee of the Chongqing People’s Congress accepted his resignation Tuesday, the official Xinhua News Agency said.
Wang has been under investigation since he visited the US Consulate in nearby Chengdu city in February. He is thought to have divulged information unfavorable to Bo Xilai, then Chongqing’s party chief.
It is unclear what charges Wang could face. He might be charged with treason if he divulged information on top-level Chinese officials to the Americans. Treason carries a maximum penalty of death, although Wang is expected to receive leniency for providing evidence against Bo and his wife. Bo was sacked from his job and is being investigated for unspecified violations. His wife, Gu Kailai, is a suspect in the death of a British businessman, Neil Heywood.
Wang, once a close ally of Bo, is believed to have had a falling out with his boss over the investigation into Heywood’s death.
Wang’s visit to the US Consulate led to the public airing of some lurid details involving high officials that Beijing may have found embarrassing and would have preferred to address behind closed doors.
As a member of the Communist Party’s Politburo, Bo was a likely candidate for one of the nine seats on its all-powerful Standing Committee when a new generation of leaders is named later this year. His downfall sent shockwaves through the party and Chinese society, prompting rumors of divisions within the leadership and even a possible coup attempt.
Delegates to the national legislature have special privileges, including immunity from arrest and trial unless there is special approval.
Quake injures 34
A strong earthquake jolted China’s far-western frontier early yesterday, shaking buildings and cutting off electricity in the remote mountainous area and injuring at least 34 people.
The US Geological Survey measured the quake, which hit the Xinjiang region, at magnitude 6.3, while China’s Earthquake Networks Center put it at 6.6.
China’s state-run Xinhua News Agency reported no deaths but said 34 people were injured.
The quake also triggered landslides, one of which hit a national highway, trapping 120 people, Xinhua said.
Residents near the epicenter were shaken out of bed in pre-dawn darkness and some households lost electricity, Xinhua reported. The quake toppled several buildings 300 kilometers (186 miles) to the west in the regional capital, Urumqi, Xinhua said, adding that rescuers had been dispatched to the sparsely populated area to search for casualties.
An official from the Xinjiang Earthquake Bureau said the quake was “strongly felt” in Urumqi. The man, who gave only his surname, Jian, said Urumqi residents rushed into the streets when the quake hit but returned home after 6 a.m.
Illegals in China
China’s national legislature adopted a new law yesterday that will target foreigners who are living and working in China illegally, the official Xinhua News Agency said, adding that the government encourages citizens to inform on suspected illegal workers.
The law approved by the National People’s Congress Standing Committee now requires foreigners to obtain valid documents — including employment certificates — to work in China, Xinhua said. It allows for employers to be fined 10,000 yuan ($1,580) for every foreigner they hire illegally, Xinhua said.
Authorities encourage Chinese citizens to report clues regarding foreigners who may work in China illegally and ask universities and language schools to share the employment information of their students, Xinhua said.
For at least a decade, foreigners on short-term visas have managed to live and work in China for extended periods of time by dashing to the border and renewing their temporary permits such as tourist visas repeatedly. Sometimes Chinese employers consider it a hassle to apply for work visas for their foreign workers.
Vice public security minister Yang Huanning was quoted in the Xinhua report as saying the number of foreigners working in China tripled in the last 11 years.
