She visits at least twice a year with Li and is involved in recruiting top administrators such as Peihua Gu, a 16-year University of Calgary engineering scholar who is academic vice president.

FORBES: Magazine Article

Gu is encouraging Western-style inquiry and choice.

FORBES: Magazine Article

Hong Kong's Ming Pao Daily News said analysts believe the court statement issued after the trial listed many details that were favourable to Mr Wang - such as his contribution to the investigation of Gu Kailai's murder of British businessman Neil Heywood - which implied he might receive a lenient sentence.

BBC: China morning round-up: Wang Lijun in court

"Chinese Strategic, Economic and Social View of Vietnam", edited by Gu Xiaosong and Sheng Lijun, Institute for South-East Asian Studies, Singapore, 2005.

ECONOMIST: Sources and acknowledgments

Gu seems to have tried to hire a lawyer experienced in defending anti-corruption cases, as is her right under Chinese law.

CNN: China murder trial a rigged spectacle

Editor's Note: This op-ed has been updated to reflect news of the verdict of Gu Kailai.

CNN: China murder trial a rigged spectacle

The Chinese government has said Ms. Gu had been close to Mr. Heywood, but that there had been a falling-out over a financial dispute.

WSJ: U.K. Raises Brit's Death in China Talks

The group advocating for ending the one-child policy thought the change "would be a simple matter, " said Gu Baochang, a professor of demography at Renmin University in Beijing, former adviser to the Family Planning Commission and informal leader of the advocacy group.

WSJ: China's One-Child Plan Faces New Fire

Other legal experts pointed out that any time Ms. Gu spends in custody is likely to be in a special facility such as Qincheng prison, where many other high-profile political figures have been jailed.

WSJ: Sentence of China's Gu Expected to Be Reduced