China charges disgraced politician Bo Xilai with corruption

By Sui-Lee Wee, Reuters

JINAN, China -- China charged disgraced politician Bo Xilai with bribery, abuse of power and corruption on Thursday, paving the way for a trial seen by many as a test for legal reform and President Xi Jinping's commitment to combat corruption. 

Bo, 64, could appear in a courtroom in the eastern city of Jinan in Shandong province within weeks, capping the country's biggest political scandal since the 1976 downfall of the Gang of Four at the end of the Cultural Revolution.

The senior political figure has not been seen in public for 17 months. 

Xi, who formally took power in March, will be eager to put the Bo scandal behind him and have unstinting support from the Communist Party as he embarks on an ambitious rebalancing of the world's second-largest economy and cracks down on corruption among senior officials. 

But the outcome of the trial of Bo, a charismatic and well-loved leader to some and a power-hungry politician to others, could sharpen rifts.

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