The Wang Lijun incident began in February 2012 when Wang Lijun, formerly vice-mayor of Chongqing, China, was abruptly demoted. Amidst rumors of political infighting with Chongqing Communist Party chief Bo Xilai, Wang arranged a meeting on 6 February at the U.S. consulate in Chengdu, where he remained for approximately 24 hours. Observers speculated that Wang may have been attempting to defect or to seek refuge from Bo. He then left the consulate of his own volition, and was taken to Beijing by agents and the vice minister Qiu Jin (邱进) of the Ministry of State Security. The Chongqing municipal government declared that Wang was receiving "vacation-style medical treatment".