Word: premier
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Dates: during 2000-2009
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Chinese have grown accustomed to seeing television footage of their Premier, Wen Jiabao, at the site of natural disasters. Often described as the human face of the country's huge bureaucracy, Wen is well known for being sympathetic to the plight of ordinary citizens. But many were still surprised at the speed with which Wen reacted to the news that a huge earthquake had struck the country's southwestern province of Sichuan on May 12. Little more than 90 minutes after the 7.9 magnitude quake struck at 2:30 p.m., Wen was headed for the airport. By early evening...
...that episode, which came during the first days in office of Premier Wen and President Hu Jintao, was a turning point. "The government learned the experience and the lesson from SARS," says Shen Kui, a professor at Peking University's law school, implementing new laws and regulations that made the process of crisis management more open and transparent. Even so, Shen says, "in a country where the people are used to hearing lies and cover-ups from its government, there is a certain amount of time required for people to get used to the more open approach. The first reaction...
...anything to go by, Beijing's decision to allow unusually open coverage of the earthquake has been vindicated. Comments on bulletin boards and blogs were overwhelmingly in favor of the government and approving of its reaction to the disaster. "I almost cried when I saw the pictures of Premier Wen at the front," a typical post ran. "I felt very warm when I read that Premier Wen Jiabao immediately set off to the stricken," another poster wrote. "I feel like our leaders are always with us when there is any trouble...
...Another person died when a water tower collapsed in Mianyang, Sichuan, the news agency said. Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao is expected to tour sites of the destruction, and described the quake as a "disaster", while President Hu Jintao has urged "all-out" efforts to rescue victims...
...indicted he will resign, which would trigger off a messy war of succession within his own centrist Kadima party - a scenario nobody wants. Should Olmert be ousted, Israel would face early elections, which polls currently show would be won by the conservative Likud party, led by ex-premier Benjamin Netanyahu, a staunch critic of Olmert's peace efforts...