Li Wangzhi | |
|---|---|
李望知 | |
| Born | Bo Wangzhi 1977 (age 47–48) |
| Other names | Brendan Li |
| Education | Peking University Columbia University |
| Occupation | Businessman |
| Parents |
|
| Relatives | Bo Guagua (half-brother) |
Li Wangzhi (born Bo Wangzhi, 1977), also called Brendan or Brandon Li, and Li Xiaobai, is a Chinese lawyer. He is the first son of former Chinese politician Bo Xilai and his wife Li Danyu.
Li Wangzhi was born in 1977. [1] [2]
In 1990, when Bo Yibo retired, Li Wangzhi moved into Zhongnanhai to live with his grandfather; he rarely saw his father, Bo Xilai, and barely associated with him during the latter's political heyday. In 1996, Li graduated from Peking University Law School with an LLB degree and in 2003 from Columbia University's School of International and Public Affairs with a master's degree in international affairs. He was then hired by Citigroup, before becoming a businessman, active in Dalian and Beijing. He founded an investment company named "Chong'er" and adopted the pseudonym "Xiaobai". Historically, Chong'er, the son of Duke Xian of Jin during the Spring and Autumn period, fled his home after being persecuted by his father's concubine and her son, both of whom eventually died in court infighting and Chong'er returned to take power as Duke Wen of Jin. Xiaobai, the brother of Duke Xiang of Qi during the same era, also fled his home to avoid the chaos under his brother's rule. After Duke Xiang of Qi was assassinated by a minister, Xiaobai returned for the throne, becoming Duke Huan of Qi. [2]
In early 2007, Gu Kailai fainted at Bo Yibo's funeral, which Li Wangzhi also attended. Doctors later informed her that the cordyceps capsules she had been taking were poisoned by lead and mercury. Gu was convinced that Li Wangzhi poisoned her and reported to the Beijing police, only to be dismissed. In late 2007, Xu Ming recommended Wang Lijun to Gu to handle the case, which became known as "12/06 Special Case" as on December 6, 2007, Wang established a task force, which soon arrested Gu's driver and another staff member, both were detained in Shenyang for five years without trial and were only released after the Neil Heywood case came to light. In October 2011, Bo Xilai relayed Gu's suspicions that his eldest son had poisoned her to Li Danyu's older brother, Li Xiaoxue, who is married to Gu's older sister. Li Xiaoxue dismissed the suspicions, and Bo was reassured. Both Li Danyu and her son denied the allegations of poisoning Gu. [3] [4] Li remarked publicly that his father's arrest "destroyed his life". [5] In August 2013, he attended the opening session of Bo's trial, while Bo's second son, Bo Guagua, was absent, remaining in the United States. It was the first time Li saw his father after the feneral of his grandfather in 2007. At the trial, Bo referred to his eldest son as "Bo Wangzhi": "Gu Kailai went to great lengths to convince me that Bo Guagua was capable, while Bo Wangzhi was not." Bo also expressed regret over their six-year alienation caused by the "12/06 Special Case", during which he was unaware that Li had gotten married and had a child.[ citation needed ]
On New Year's Day 2015, Li Wangzhi published a post on Weibo, which was censored afterwards, revealing his father's condition in prison: "His health is okay; despite the limited conditions, he can receive treatment when needed." Li also shared:
A year ago, around this time, my father and I spoke face-to-face for the first time in seven years. His first words to me were: "The materials accusing you of poisoning Kailai and me are in the cabinet behind me, this thick (gesturing about a foot). I never believed any of it." I couldn't hold back my tears.
But it was this fabricated so-called "12/06 Special Case" that implicated numerous individuals from the Beijing and Chongqing Public Security Bureaus, as well as the Central Guard Bureau, separating father and son as if between life and death. To this day, the case remains unresolved, with no one held accountable. Those who created and spread the case have neither clarified the truth nor apologized. Aren't both my father and I victims of this case?
In 2014, remarkably, I saw him more often than in any other year I can recall in the past 30 years, which brought me great warmth. I took every opportunity to visit him, and I hope, within the bounds of the law, to have more chances to do so. After all, life is short. Sometimes I reflect: if I don't see him at a funeral, it's in a courtroom or a prison. Is that a blessing or a tragedy? One can't help but feel at the mercy of fate. [6] [7]