Current event six

Strange news is coming in from China as reports of what some are calling a coup of the Chinese government is occurring behind the closed doors of China's forbidden city. The men said to be leading this coup are Bo Xilai and Zhou Yongkang. Bo Xilai was once a senior member of the communist party and many believed was in line to become leader of China until he was caught in a police corruption scandal and simply disappeared. Zhou is a member of the Politburo standing committee and, until now, was one of the most power men in China; he was also a huge supporter of Bo Xilai and is thought to have attempted to start a coup of the Chinese government with him. Tensions rose as the normally well secured city of Beijing increased its security even more and reported gunfire was heard from inside the Forbidden City. The coup is thought to have been defeated and although tensions aren't as high as they were during 1976 when the gang of four was arrested, tensions are still very high and this is still an extremely important political development for China. Although Zhou's coup attempt has been stopped he will likely remain in office to finish his term which is coming to an end shortly as elections are coming up in China. Both men were famous traditional Maoists in China and it is said both men teamed up to prevent vice president and heir apparent Hu Jintao from taking over and place Bo into the president’s spot in his place. It was reported that Bo had purchased 5,000 rifles and 50,000 rounds of ammunition to achieve his goal. Because of his failure Bo was fired as party secretary for Chongqing last Friday. These latest events in China are huge and will have many effects on China's political system for months or even years to come, but it is important to note that not all of this information should be taken for granted because much of the information on what has occurred in China has been covered up by the Chinese government.

Link: http://articles.latimes.com/2012/mar/22/world/la-fg-china-coup-rumors-20120323