Follow us on TWITTER: http://twitter.com/cnforbiddennews Like us on FACEBOOK: http://www.facebook.com/chinaforbiddennews Key figures involved in the Bo Xilai case have continued to be drawn into the open. Recently, Jiang Jiemin, the former president of China National Petroleum Corp. (CNPC) was removed from office. Jiang is also head of the State-owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commission. Using his authority, he set up oil refinery projects, to help Bo Xilai gain achievement in governance. Chinese Communist Party (CCP) official media alleges that CNPC is a"tiger's nest". Analysts suggest that the Xi Jinping Administration's next actions against the CNPC will be to further undermine interests of the faction led by Jiang Zemin. They forecast that top-level CCP infighting will make the Party split apart more, and in a more overt way. On September 3, China's 21st Century Business Herald quoted sources. It says that Jiang Jiemin has inextricable ties with Bo Xilai. During Bo's tenure as Liaoning governor, Jiang focused CNPC business expansion in Liaoning. After Bo's reign over Chongqing, Jiang helped to boost Bo's job performance with the same tricks. Meanwhile, the Herald quoted an industry insider, who gave views on the questionable business practices of CNPC. He said that firstly, northern China has a serious and excessive refining capacity. Secondly, being less economically developed, the North heavily relies on crude oil. This oil is transported at high cost from the South. Thirdly, even CNPC oil refinery projects in Chongqing has had to import crude oil shipped from Burma. Sinopec, another China oil giant, has located its oil refinery plants more often in the southern coastal regions, which are more economical. Overseas Chinese media has reported on an important cause of Jiang Jiemin's fall. He has passed huge profits to Zhou Yongkang, former Politburo Standing Committee member. Jiang has worked under Zhou for many years. After he took the helm of the CNPC, he has curried favor with Zhou by abusing his power. On September 3, the CCP Central authorities announced the removal of Jiang Jiemin from office. The CCP-sponsored Guangming Daily calls the CNPC a "tiger's nest". It stated that from it would be pulled more"big tigers". Commentator Xia Xiaoqiang says this confirms the news intensively reported by overseas media. That is, the CCP has targeted Zhou Yongkang, the "big tiger". Recently, several CNPC executives have been taken down. New reports emerged that Zhou Yongkang and Zeng Qinghong have been warned, or they have been put under house arrest. What are the motives of the CCP axing the CNPC? What are its actions against the interest group led by Zhou Yongkang and Jiang Zemin? Xia Xiaoqiang: "All along, Jiang Zemin, Zeng Qinghong, Zhou Yongkang and the CCP princeling Chen Yuan, have seized huge amount of wealth through a network. This is composed of National Development Bank, the CNPC, Sinopec, and National Development & Reform Commission. Zhou Yongkang and Zeng Qinghong have been closely connected with the petroleum industry. The CNPC has helped conceal crucial criminal evidence for core figures of Jiang Zemin's faction." Xia Xiaoqiang says that Zhou Yongkang, Zeng Qinghong, and Jiang Zemin were all unseen backers of Bo Xilai's military coup plot. The CCP has purged these "big tigers" by way of investigating corruption inside the CNPC. This is a relatively safe practice, considering the CCP's political stability, according to Xia. Political observers think that since China opened up 30 years ago, the CCP has always justified its political legitimacy with economic development. Xia Xiaoqiang:"After taking office, Xi Jinping and Li Keqiang have constantly faced the economic collapse. This has seriously affected the CCP rule, so economic reform becomes one of its priorities." Xia Xiaoqiang indicates that the CCP one-party system is a hard knot for China's economic reform and growth. It is like a closed loop of death. Xia Xiaoqiang: "In particular, during his tenure, Jiang Zemin initiated a collective-corruption system. This has given birth to massive corruption in the CCP officialdom. Meanwhile, it has made China's economy incurably sick. State-owned enterprises have become almost private properties for the families of Jiang Zemin, Zeng Qinghong, and of Zhou Yongkang." According to Xia Xiaoqiang, the battle will continue between the two factions under Xi Jinping and Jiang Zemin. Xi, who is allied with Li Keqiang and Wang Qishan, will wage more fierce anti-corruption drives, as well as and reforms against Jiang's faction. At the same time, they will get more counter-attack. It will then be followed by a more overt splitting of the CCP, Xia Xiaoqiang forecasts. As the infighting escalates, Xia Xiaoqiang says that it is just a matter of time before the downfall of Zeng Qinghong and Jiang Zemin.

• published: 05 Sep 2013
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