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In delivering his report on the state of the government at the opening of the 10th NPC, Premier Zhu performed his final act as head of the State Council. From now on, the hot-tempered, strong-willed leader will largely fade from public view.

Not one word was said about his imminent retirement, but the prolonged applause from the 2,916 delegates spoke of heartfelt appreciation of his leadership and service.

Presided over by Wu Banguo, executive chairman of the presidium, the NPC opened to the sound of a military band playing the national anthem.

With President Jiang Zemin and Communist Party General Party Hu Jintao looking on, Mr Zhu took his stand at the podium.

Mr Zhu assured the audience that he would only read the highlights of the 40-page report, triggering another wave of applause. Betraying little emotion, he read the prepared text, which touched on nine aspects of government work.

He prefaced the list by recalling the adversities he had faced during his five years in power: the Asian financial crisis, a slowdown in global economic growth, massive layoffs caused by the reform of state-owned enterprises, and the disastrous floods in 1998 and 1999.

Looking ahead, Mr Zhu said the government should redouble efforts in eight areas, including boosting domestic consumption and building a safety net for the poor.

When he said the government must strengthen itself and crack down on corruption, the audience responded with applause.

In a slip of the tongue, Mr Zhu at one stage referred to Taiwan as a country, but immediately corrected himself.

Approaching the end of his 80-minute speech, he raised his voice as he urged delegates to push forward with socialism with Chinese characteristics, accompanied by another wave of applause.

With fatigue written all over his face, Mr Zhu stepped down from the podium and walked slowly to his seat. On the way he steadied himself, holding on to the back of a delegate's chair. Sitting down, he dabbed his forehead with a small towel before acknowledging the appreciative applause.

He exchanged a few words with Mr Hu, who was sitting to his right. President Jiang, although smiling during the long applause, said nothing to Mr Zhu and left the stage with other leaders in tow.



Government work report was the swansong of a respected leader