No one above the law

As the case of Bo Xilai goes to court, China's new leaders have once again shown their determination to combat corruption.

On Thursday, procurators charged Bo, a former member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and former Party chief of the Chongqing municipality, with bribery, embezzlement and abuse of power.

According to the indictment, Bo took advantage of his position as a civil servant to seek profits for others, accepted an "extremely large amount" of money and properties, embezzled a "large amount" of public money and abused his power, causing "heavy losses" to the interests of the nation and the people.

Bo is the highest-ranking official to be brought to court since March 2008 when charges were filed against Chen Liangyu, a former member of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee and former Party chief of Shanghai. Bo's indictment came less than a month after Liu Zhijun, the former minister of railways, was given a suspended death sentence for bribery and abuse of power.

Since taking office as the new chief of the CPC in November, Party General Secretary Xi Jinping and his colleagues have shown great determination to fight corruption, which they regard as a serious threat to the survival of the Party. The fierce anti-corruption campaign they have lunched has brought down numerous senior officials, including Li Chuncheng, former deputy Party secretary of Sichuan province, Liu Tienan, former head of the National Energy Administration, and Ni Fake, former vice-governor of Anhui province.

Xi has vowed to put power within a "cage of regulations" and made clear that the crackdown on corruption should be aimed at both low-ranking "flies" and high-ranking "tigers", a move that has been widely acclaimed, as it will help build China into a nation governed by law if forcibly carried forward.

The prosecution of Bo is reassuring proof that the leadership's tough stance on corruption is by no means empty talk. It once again demonstrates that nobody can stand above the law and anyone who tries, whatever position he or she holds, will be brought to justice.

The zero-tolerance toward corruption and other crimes committed by senior officials such as Bo is also a credible demonstration that all people in China are equal in front of the law.