Wang Lijun

Chongqing municipality deputy mayor, Wang Lijun, has gone on leave ‘due to over work’. There was widespread rumour in the internet that he faced a corruption investigation and had even sought refuge at a US consulate. The rumour came up after Chinese police surrounded the U.S. consulate in Chengdu, a city about 200 miles from Chongqing. A U.S. Embassy spokesman told Reuters that he could not comment on the reported request for asylum and that the U.S. government did not request increased security around the (Chengdu) consulate compound as it was not under any threat.

He has been a top corruption fighter and a key deputy to Bo Xilai, the Chongqing Communist party secretary who has been tipped for a top position in China’s upcoming political transition.

Wang was a top law enforcement officer during a massive crackdown on organised crime launched by Bo in 2009 that saw more than 1,500 arrested. As a result of this crackdown
Wang’s predecessor and former police chief Wen Qiang, was executed for corruption in 2010. The crackdown won widespread public support in the city and helped elevate the profile of both Bo and Wang.