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Martin Patience: Bo Xilai apparently showed "feistiness" in court
Disgraced Chinese politician Bo Xilai has fought back in court against charges of bribery on the opening day of the country's biggest political trial in decades.
Mr Bo said he was coerced into making a confession and rubbished testimony from witnesses who included his wife.
The former Chongqing Communist boss is also charged with corruption.
He faces charges of abuse of power relating to his wife's role in the murder of a British businessman.
Two years ago the 64-year-old high-flier was seen as a candidate for promotion to the Politburo Standing Committee, China's seven-member top decision-making body.
But in February 2012, as China prepared for its once-in-a-decade leadership handover, questions emerged over the death of a British businessman, Neil Heywood.
Analysis
Celia Hatton BBC Beijing correspondent
Is the Bo Xilai trial an act of tightly scripted political theatre or an unexpectedly colourful legal showdown?
The Chinese authorities have taken pains to demonstrate that this trial is seemingly open and transparent by issuing a constant stream of updates on Weibo, China's version of Twitter.
However, the updates offer a limited, one-sided view of what is going on in the courtroom.
Criticisms of the trial have been deleted from Weibo, leaving the Jinan court's account of the proceedings as the only real source of information on the trial.
On the other hand, even the bite-sized bits of information on Weibo cannot hide that Bo Xilai's testimony has been surprisingly belligerent. He has disputed charges and witness testimony against him, including that of his own wife.
Mr Bo's seemingly energetic defence might also be part of the authorities' attempts to demonstrate that the former Chongqing Party boss will receive a fair hearing. Is this a game of legal smoke and mirrors? We have no choice but to continue to follow Weibo for more updates.
Mr Bo's downfall was seen as the biggest political shake-up to hit China's ruling elite in decades. His wife, Gu Kailai, has since been convicted of Mr Heywood's murder.
Correspondents say the trial is as much about getting rid of a popular politician as it is about criminal wrongdoing. Mr Bo is widely expected to be found guilty.
'Fairly and justly'The trial - which started at 08:30 (00:30 GMT) - is taking place at the Intermediate People's Court in Jinan, in eastern Shandong province. The court is providing an account of proceedings on its official microblog.
"I hope the judge will try this case fairly and justly according to the law of the country," Mr Bo reportedly said.
Five of Mr Bo's relatives are said to be in court, along with 19 journalists and 84 other people. Foreign journalists have not been allowed in.
According to the indictment posted by the court, Mr Bo is accused of receiving bribes totalling 21.8m yuan ($3.56m; £2.28m) from two Dalian-based businessmen.
Mr Bo denied accepting any money in the form of bribes.
The court microblog quoted him as saying about one of the cases: "That [businessman] Tang Xiaolin gave me three bribes - that did not happen. He asked me to help him sort out something, and these were all done according to procedure."
Mr Bo said he had admitted this "against his will" under questioning, adding: "What I meant was that I was willing to take the legal responsibility but I had no idea of all these details back then."
Using surprisingly strong language, he described Tang Xiaolin as a "crazy dog" who was "selling his soul" to reduce his sentence, which brought a rebuke from the judge.
He also described testimony provided by prosecutors from his wife as "ridiculous". In written evidence to the court, Gu said she had seen a large amount of money in the family's safes, matching the amount allegedly given to Mr Bo from Mr Tang.
The abuse of power charge is connected to his wife's role in Mr Heywood's murder and his treatment of Wang Lijun, his now-jailed former police chief whose flight to the US consulate brought the case out into the open, the court indictment said.
Continue reading the main storyHearings would last two days, Chinese state television CCTV said in a tweet, with a verdict "likely in early September".
Security was tight at the court, with police blocking the gates and lining roads leading up to it.
'Resolute action'As party leader in Chongqing, Bo Xilai was seen as a powerful, populist and charismatic figure.
He was known for two high-profile campaigns: a large-scale crackdown on crime and a drive to promote China's old communist values. But analysts said his ambition earned him enemies and he was considered controversial by top party leaders.
Bo Xilai scandal: Timeline
- 2 February 2012 -Wang Lijun seeks refuge at the US consulate in Chengdu
- 15 March - Bo Xilai is removed from his post as party chief in Chongqing
- 26 March - UK confirms it has asked China to re-examine Neil Heywood's death
- 10 April - Bo Xilai is stripped of his Communist Party posts and his wife Gu Kailai is investigated over Neil Heywood's death
- 20 August - Gu Kailai is given a suspended death sentence for the murder of Neil Heywood
- 28 September - Bo Xilai is expelled from the Communist Party
- 25 July 2013 - Bo Xilai is charged with corruption, bribery and abuse of power
In February 2012, around the time that China was preparing to promote a new generation of leaders, his police chief, Wang Lijun, fled to the US consulate in Chengdu amid an apparent fall-out with Mr Bo.
Shortly afterwards, Chinese authorities announced that they were reinvestigating the death of Mr Heywood, and both Mr Bo and his wife disappeared from public view.
Gu Kailai has since been jailed for the murder of Mr Heywood - a crime she carried out, state media say, because of differences over a business deal. Wang has also been jailed for his role in covering up events, among other charges.
Mr Bo is the last major player in connection with the case to face trial. Interest has been intense, with many Chinese microbloggers speaking out.
Most expressed scepticism about the proceedings, judging the trial merely a political show. Nevertheless a large number still believe Mr Bo has a case to answer when it comes to corruption and abuse of power.
Herkuang in Shanghai says: "This Bo Xilai trial thing is merely a procedural thing. Those [party] elders have already made up their minds on what to sentence him with... Just watch the end result."
But some of comments about Mr Bo and his alleged conduct were dripping with sarcasm. "What a clean official! Just one count of bribe-taking in 30 years as a civil servant?" Li Zhiqiang, law lecturer at Lanzhou University, said.
Other internet users were more complimentary, however. One user, "Small Town Girl", said ahead of the trial: "Looking at him from a rational perspective, he made contributions to the people of Dalian and Chongqing."
CLICKABLE
Neil Heywood
Bo Xilai
Gu Kailai
Bo Guagua
Wang Lijun
Patrick Devillers
Jiang Feng Dolby
Dalian
Chongqing
French villa
Bo Xilai
Former Communist Party chief of Chongqing and Politburo member
Mr Bo, the son of a famous Communist Party hero, was once a political high-flyer and described as the nearest China had to a Western-style politician. He ran the coastal city of Dalian and was commerce minister before becoming Party chief of south-western metropolis of Chongqing. He was removed from office following Neil Heywood's death and was charged with bribery, corruption and abuse of power.
Gu Kailai
Lawyer and wife of Bo Xilai
Ms Gu, whose father was a prominent revolutionary general, is a well-known lawyer and second wife of Bo Xilai.
She studied at Peking University before opening the Kailai law firm in Beijing. Fluent in English, she and her husband were once one of China's most powerful couples. Last year, she was convicted of Mr Heywood's murder, reportedly over a deal gone wrong, and given a suspended death sentence.
Bo Guagua
Son of Bo Xilai and Gu Kailai
Educated at the exclusive British private school Harrow, followed by Oxford and Harvard Universities, Bo Guagua has been described as one of China's "princelings" - the descendants of revolutionary leaders often criticised for their lavish lifestyles. Since his parents' fall, Bo Guagua has remained in the US, where he is preparing to study law at Colombia University in New York. In a statement issued ahead of Mr Bo's trial, Bo Guagua said he hoped his father would be allowed to defend himself "without constraints".
Wang Lijun
Former Chongqing police chief
Mr Wang, once a popular police chief and Bo Xilai's deputy in Chongqing, began his career in law enforcement in the Inner Mongolia region before moving to Chongqing in 2008. He worked closely with Mr Bo but, after an apparent falling out, Mr Wang fled to the US consulate in Chengdu, near Chongqing, where he raised concerns about the circumstances of Neil Heywood's death. Mr Wang has since been jailed for 15 years, charged with defection, power abuse and bribe-taking.
Patrick Devillers
French architect
Mr Devillers is believed to have met Bo Xilai and Gu Kailai in the 1990s while living in Dalian and reportedly helped design street grids in the port city while Mr Bo was mayor. French documents quoted by the Wall Street Journal and New York Times said he also oversaw the running of a villa in the South of France - allegedly belonging to Mr Bo - between 2001 to 2007. He was detained in Cambodia, where he lives, before voluntarily flying to China in July 2012. Reports say Chinese authorities wanted to talk to him as a witness in the Neil Heywood case.
Jiang Feng Dolby
Television presenter and business woman
Mrs Dolby, born in China but now a British citizen through marriage, is well known in China as a state TV presenter. However, after moving to Britain she ran an educational consulting company, which it is claimed helped get the children of wealthy Chinese couples into leading British and American schools and universities. Mrs Dolby was named in official documents quoted by the Wall Street Journal as the manager of a villa in the south of France that is expected to be one of the key pieces of evidence at Mr Bo's trial.
Dalian
Major seaport in north-eastern China
It was here that Bo Xilai's political career was set on the fast track when he was appointed mayor. Mr Bo was credited with developing Dalian from an unremarkable port city to a showcase for China's economic boom. It was also in Dalian that Mr Bo and Gu Kailai reportedly first met Mr Heywood and Mr Devillers.
Chongqing
Major city in south-western China
Bo Xilai was appointed Communist Party chief of Chongqing in 2007. Wang Lijun, the city's former police chief, was his deputy. Mr Bo became well-known for a high-profile crackdown on crime and advancing the "Chongqing model" of development, which spent heavily on developing public housing and infrastructure. However, his ambition and flamboyant style earned him enemies and raised eyebrows among party leaders back in Beijing. It was in a hotel room in Chongqing that British businessman Neil Heywood was found dead in November 2011.
French villa
Cannes, France
A six-bedroom villa in the south of France is expected to play a role in the trial of Bo Xilai. The $3.5m (£2.2m) property in Cannes was allegedly given to Mr Bo as a bribe. It it claimed to have been bought by Xu Ming, a billionaire backer of Mr Bo in Dalian. French documents quoted by the Wall Street Journal and the New York Times state people close to the Bo family have been involved with the villa since 2001. French architect Patrick Devillers, British businessman Neil Heywood and Feng Jiang Dolby, a former presenter on China's state TV, have all overseen the running of the property, the papers said.
Neil Heywood
British businessman
Having enjoyed a privileged education at Harrow school, Mr Heywood moved to China in the early 1990s where he learned Mandarin, married his Chinese wife Wang Lulu and started a business career. The father-of-two worked as a consultant to foreign businesses seeking investment in China. It was while living in the north-eastern port city of Dalian in the mid-1990s that Mr Heywood met Bo Xilai - then the city's mayor - and his wife Gu Kailai. More than a decade later, Mr Heywood was found dead in a hotel room in the south-western city Chongqing - where Mr Bo had since become Communist Party chief. In 2012, Gu Kailai and an aide were convicted of poisoning him because of "economic conflict".
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