Supporters of China's disgraced senior politician Bo Xilai, jailed for corruption, are reported to have set up a political party in defiance of a decades-old de facto ban on new political parties.

The Zhi Xian Party, literally "the constitution is the supreme authority" party, was formed on November 6, just before a key meeting of Communist Party leaders to discuss economic reforms.

Bo, once a rising star of China's leadership, cultivated a following with populist, quasi-Maoist policies. He was jailed for life in September for corruption and abuse of power.