Sunday, June 10, 2007

Premier Wen Jiabao to come to Wuxi.

A student told me that Wen Jiabao is paying a visit to Wuxi and Lake Taihu because of the water crisis.  So the local government is using all its resources to clean the area around Taihu for the visit.

I have seen Wen Jiabao on numerous occasions on Chinese television.  His shtick, which surely must come from the playbook of Bill Clinton, is go to some place in China where there is a crisis, and pose for photo-ops with average citizens to show that he and the Chinese government care,  feel their pain and are working on solutions to the problem.  He takes on the appearance of a elderly and caring grandfather.

A few weeks ago there was a crisis because of the rising price of pork.  So Premier Wen was photographed in a supermarket with shoppers talking about pork prices. 

Seeing this picture just before the Water Crisis, I did later wonder when Premier Wen would come to Wuxi to talk about the water.  I wonder now why he did not come sooner.

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