But Mr Bo's case is about far more than personal rivalries between senior officials as they prepare for a shuffle of the party's leadership later this year.

ECONOMIST: Banyan

The shuffle clearly signalled all-out war: the party bosses were hoping to plant the government flag in the heart of the territory that Mr Savimbi once held.

ECONOMIST: Angola: Trapped in the middle | The

As chief of the party's Organisation Department until last month, Mr Zeng played a key role in the selection of officials for promotion in the build-up to the Communist Party's 16th Congress, which preceded the Politburo shuffle.

ECONOMIST: China's new line-up

Back on earth, the party maintained its usual secrecy about the process involved in an extensive shuffle of the 25-strong Politburo.

ECONOMIST: China launches a rocket and aims for the moon