Arrogance led to Bo downfall: China state media

Chinese state media laid into Bo Xilai on Saturday, saying "arrogance" led to his demise, a day after a court rejected the fallen politician's appeal against his corruption conviction.

Bo was condemned to life imprisonment on charges of bribery, embezzlement and abuse of power last month, and a Chinese court on Friday dismissed his appeal and confirmed his sentence.

Analysts said the decision means there will be no comeback for a charismatic man once tipped for the very top echelons of Chinese power.

The state-run Global Times newspaper on Saturday ran a damning editorial under the headline: "Lack of reverence sunk arrogant Bo".

"People should always be reverent before the nation, the people and the law no matter who they are, what position they hold, or what power they had," it said.

"Power isn't eternal, nor can it turn anyone into a superman."

Bo, 64, and his wife Gu Kailai, in jail for murdering a British businessman over a murky dispute that sparked Bo's downfall, "lacked a sense of reverence".

President Xi Jinping has launched an anti-corruption campaign that the Global Times said officials at all levels of government would do well to bear in mind.

"Tragedies resulting from a lack of reverence don't just happen among officials. Local governments and others have been plagued by arrogance," it said.

"The arrogant take advantage of loopholes in the government and the market, using their administrative power to subvert public interests.

"They know perfectly that what they do is illegal and socially unacceptable, but their arrogance prevents them from feeling shame."