Straight talking from Premier Zhu Rongji about the state of the economy and the hardships which lie ahead has not diminished his popularity with the rank and file.
If anything, the massive vote of confidence shown in the 98.4 per cent support which his work report received at the National People's Congress indicates that people believe he is on the right track with his reforms. There is every sign they will continue to support him providing he can maintain the pace which he set at the outset, even though this year is likely to be more testing than the last.
Nevertheless, Premier Zhu must feel greatly reassured by the reception of his report. He can go back to work with a firmer mandate to press ahead on the present path. There may even be a willingness among the masses to see faster progress in the programme to slim down state-run industries, clean up the banking system and root out the corruption which permeates every level of bureaucracy. But the economic tsar's frank admissions that the Asian crisis hit the Chinese economy harder than expected, combined with the sensitive anniversaries coming up this year, mean that the government focus will be on social stability.
Mr Zhu will have to decide on the ability of society to absorb the impact of more closures and mounting unemployment before he acts. But there is no doubt that the public prefer to be told the facts, rather than lulled into a false sense of security by a recital of distorted statistics.
Moreover, another positive sign, although it was less well received, there was more support for the procuratorate report than the dismal 55 per cent it received last year. The 78 per cent vote reflected a shift in attitude, and a firm signal that the anti-graft campaign is beginning to take effect.
