(Via Bourque) The BBC is reporting that a high ranking member of China's politburo has been fired for corruption. As posted here (and here) before, corruption is part of the norm in China. It is a police state and the new economy is all bout taking money. You can look at this as a corporate takeover if you will. Corruption is the excuse for taking out a political competitor who has not been paying up the chain. The operative part of the article reads:

The sacking of Chen Liangyu comes ahead of the key Communist Party Congress later this year when Hu Jintao will be hoping to consolidate his leadership. Until now, Shanghai - China's second city and financial centre - has been considered a stronghold for officials loyal to Mr Hu's predecessor, Jiang Zemin. Mr Chen was a protege of Jiang Zemin. There has been a continuing power struggle between Jiang Zemin and Hu Jintao, the BBC's Quentin Sommerville in Shanghai says. Mr Chen's dismissal is being widely interpreted as Hu Jintao strengthening his position both within the party and the country as a whole, our correspondent adds. The sacking of such senior Communist Party members are rare.