Oxford graduate Bo Guagua came out in defence of his father, Chinese politican Bo Xilai, last week.
His defence follows an announcement by China’s state news agency, Xinhua, reporting an official statement from a party leaders’ meeting.
Xinhua said Mr Bo stood accused of corruption, abuse of power, bribe-taking and even improper relations with women.
Describing his father as “upright in his beliefs and devoted to duty”, this is the first time that Bo Guagua has explicitly mentioned the case since the scandal, which has engulfed both his parents, unfolded.
Following the death of British businessman Neil Heywood in November 2011 and the subsequent conviction of Xilai’s wife, Gu Kailai in August 2012, a series of accusations have surfaced. Mr Bo has not been seen in public since mid-March, shortly after the scandal erupted and it was announced that he was under investigation. He was expelled from his post in the Communist Party in April.
48 hours after Xinhua’s report, Bo Guagua’s statement supporting his father appeared online. It read, “Personally, it is hard for me to believe the allegations that were announced against my father, because they contradict everything I have come to know about him throughout my life.”
In response to accusations of abuses of power he stated, “Although the policies my father enacted are open to debate, the father I know is upright in his beliefs and devoted to duty.” Bo Guaga claims that his father always taught him, “to be my own person and to have concern for causes greater than ourselves. I have tried to follow his advice.”
Since the start of the scandal, media interest in Guagua’s private life has been increasing with depictions of him as both a playboy and socialite. Studying PPE at Balliol from 2006-2010 Guagua gained a 2:1, but rusticated, living in the Randolph Hotel for a significant amount of time during his studies.
Ryan Widdows, a second year History and Politics student, argued, “Considering Guagua’s alleged playboy lifestyle perhaps it’s not surprising that he’s sticking by his father over the infidelity accusations. Although let’s face it, China isn’t particularly renowned for being judicially and politically just and attempts to disgrace Bo Xilai have to be taken with a pinch of salt.”
Guagua is now living in the USA after leaving Harvard this year. The situation continues to develop with Guagua stating, “I expect the legal process to follow its normal course, and I will await the result.”
