Wang Lijun says Bo Xilai's 'slap' was a punch
Wang Lijun – Bo Xilai’s ally turned nemesis – also gave his account of his confrontation with Bo and his dramatic flight to the American consulate in Chengdu.
Wang Lijun – Bo Xilai’s ally turned nemesis – also gave his account of his confrontation with Bo and his dramatic flight to the American consulate in Chengdu. This version is edited and condensed:
“I’m not just a witness; I’m a victim of Bo Xilai’s case.
“On January 28 at 1700 [hours], I went to the 1st block [ Bo’s office]. I said clearly to him that Neil [Heywood] was murdered by Gu Kailai . I told him in great detail of how [Gu] went in [Heywood’s room] and how [she] poured the poison. I told him that he could ask [his] butler Zhang Xiaojun because he was present too. Bo then asked me: ‘Is it really the lawyer who did it? He was referring to his wife. I said: ‘Yes, it was her and she had confessed [to me]’. I told him to question Zhang. I believed Xiaojun would not lie to Bo.
“He then said he needed to take a walk. He went out for about 40 minutes. Then he went back home. This [meeting] was on January 28 when he returned from Beijing to Chongqing . He [even] said ‘thank you’ to me that night.
“On January 29, which was the first working day after the Lunar New Year, I received a call from the general office of the Chongqing city government at 9.30 and [they] told me to go to Bo’s office. I knew it would get ugly. I found Guo Weiguo and Wu [no given name provided] were also there. They went in hiding once I arrived.
“Bo came out and he started to yell at me. He lost all of his manners. After about three minutes, he went about from the left-hand side of his table and approached me. He suddenly threw a punch and hit my left ear. It was not a slap. My whole body shook a bit. He then retreated to his table. I found the corner of my mouth was bleeding and fluids coming out of my ear. I used the tissue paper on the table to clean the blood. He saw I did not lose my cool. He picked up his mug and smashed it on the floor and said ‘this is totally unacceptable’. Then he wanted to use violence [on me] again. Wu got in between us and separated him from me. This was what happened on January 29.