审判薄熙来为何在济南
北京在选择薄熙来庭审地点上，颇费了一些心机。
最早传出是在西南的贵阳，结果是一出空城计，弄得一帮老记们在空中白折腾了一回。
对北京来说，贵阳不是理想之地，那里离重庆太近，薄熙来可轻易获得地气甚至人气，因为重庆人可赶夜车前来助威，这些都会使薄熙来更难以驯服。
为压住薄熙来的风头，为紫禁城增添皇气，审理一定要外放在中国的二线城市，重庆所属的西南去不得，大连所属的东北去不得，他生长的华北去不得，靠近港澳的华南去不得，只能在西北和华东打主意了。
在西北审薄熙来，像是在 黄土坡上擂鼓，偏远了些。华东是个好地方，可选择的二线城市不少，曾出过中纪委书记吴官正的济南就是一个好选择。
《今日美国》 在21日以《审判薄熙来选择安全的城市济南》为题，试图找出北京在济南羞辱薄熙来的原因：
济南远离无法无天的重庆，很少会有干扰。美国人还引用一名出租车司机的话说“济南保守，是中国重要的兵源地，济南人听话” 。
China picks 'safe' city for Bo Xilai's corruption trial
Calum MacLeod, USA TODAY 11:43 a.m. EDT August 21, 2013
JINAN, China – The likely final chapter in China's biggest political scandal for decades takes place Thursday in the eastern city of Jinan, sister city of Sacramento, Calif.
On the eve of the criminal trial of Bo Xilai, a senior and now disgraced Communist Party leader, Jinan residents expressed interest and indifference Wednesday at their moment in the domestic and international spotlight.
Bo, 64, a populist politician once tapped for China's top table of power, faces charges of bribery, embezzlement and abuse of power. His wife is already in prison for murdering a British businessman. China's Communist Party-led legal system leaves zero doubt Bo will be found guilty, so speculation rests only on the severity of his sentence.
His alleged crimes occurred in northeast China, where he held several posts, and in his most recent power base, the southwestern metropolis of Chongqing. The choice of Shandong provincial capital Jinan as the trial venue, far from Chongqing, flouts Chinese legal requirements and reflects the authorities' desire to minimize the chance of local interference.
"Jinan is a safe choice, as we are a conservative city, so officials are confident the trial can proceed without incident," said taxi driver Liu Jinsen. "Here in Shandong we provide more soldiers to the army than any other province, and they are the most obedient."
Holding a so-called "public trial" of Bo, although access will be strictly limited, still counts as progress in China, said Liu, even if "the trial is just a procedure and the verdict has been decided in advance." The Communist Party has wrought positive changes in China, said Liu, but he wishes citizens could choose their local leaders.
Zhou Min, 65, a retired accountant, agreed that Jinan is a good choice for Bo's trial.
"If the trial was held in Chongqing, local people and relatives may interfere," she said. "However high an official is, if they committed a crime, they must be punished." The trial is a hot topic among her friends. "China needs officials who follow the law," she said.
Close to the courthouse, a bicycle shop drew several teens Wednesday to its trendy Althea bikes. "We only talk a little bit about Bo Xilai, as we don't much look at news," said student Glenjy Qiao, 16. "I don't know what he did, but I know corruption is a huge problem in China.
"China is developing well, and I hope (leader) Xi Jinping's anti-corruption drive is not just on the surface but will include institutional change," said Qiao, whose restaurant-owning parents can afford the more than $300 she spent on a bicycle.
"I hope China will become a multiparty democracy but there seems little chance for now, perhaps when I am 40," she laughed.
Jinan, little known internationally, is famous in China for its many springs. At central Baotu Spring, which calls itself the "Best Spring in the World," wedding emcee Yu Xianpeng, a local resident and Communist Party member, said he's eagerly followed Bo's increasingly dramatic case since his police chief sought asylum at a U.S. consulate in February 2012.
Bo has done both good and bad in office, and will be found guilty under "the rule of law with Chinese characteristics," said Yu, 26. Bo will be made an example of to scare other officials, he predicted.
"Every country suffers from corruption but China is certainly in the top rank. A key reform step would be requiring officials to declare their assets," Yu said -- although dozens of activists have been detained in recent months for calling for this measure.
At the courthouse Wednesday, several supporters of Bo voiced their anger at what they see as a politically motivated trial. At least five petitioners, people complaining about local grievances, also traded verbal blows with local police and may have been detained. Meanwhile, one father paused on his electric bicycle, and proved on message in words to his son. "This is a trial for a bad guy who was very corrupt," he said.
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