THE paparazzi have come to Beijing. Well, almost. When the Communist Party announced it would, for the first time, open some of the congress discussions to foreign media, more than 100 foreign reporters and photographers came to the Great Hall of the People to cover the occasion. Not satisfied with being spoon-fed party propaganda, they have followed delegates everywhere . . . even lurking outside the toilets to grab a quick picture or ask questions. When Shaanxi Governor Cheng Andong answered nature's call, he was doorstepped by reporters. One journalist asked: 'Governor, can you explain how can Shaanxi, which has limited resources, catch up with the rest of the country?' In less than three minutes, Mr Cheng was surrounded by dozens of reporters and photographers and had to be rescued by attendants. Less fortunate was Haier Group boss Zhang Ruimin, who was bombarded with questions about privatisation and shareholding when he snuck out to make a phone call. But the press was not to be blamed. Only six delegations were available to the media, and with only a few exceptions like Wang Daohan , an adviser to Mr Jiang, most delegates either wanted to talk about new products their enterprises had developed or heaped praise on the President's speech.
