The central government has branded former Chongqing police chief Wang Lijun a traitor to both the country and the Communist Party, a month after he sought asylum at the United States consulate in Chengdu, Sichuan province, sources said.
A source close to the top political advisory body, the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, said President Hu Jintao told Communist Party members among CPPCC delegates, in an internal briefing on Saturday evening, that Wang was a traitor.
A government source in Chongqing took a similar stance yesterday, saying: 'All officials above prefectural levels in Chongqing were told the day before yesterday [March 4] that Wang had betrayed the country.'
Wang's whereabouts, as well as the political implications of his actions, have been a focal point of the ongoing annual sessions of the National People's Congress and the CPPCC in Beijing.
The former crime-busting hero and deputy mayor of Chongqing reportedly sought political asylum in the US consulate on February 6.
The Chongqing source added that Wang had been involved in a string of crimes, including corruption and moral degeneration.
