Beijing has rarely seen a Sunday afternoon quite like it. Two senior officials sacked, dramatic new figures released attempting to show the full extent of an emerging crisis and a frank press conference that ran for more than two hours before an international audience.
If the new leadership of President Hu Jintao and Premier Wen Jiabao was looking to make up lost ground over the Sars crisis with some decisive moves, they certainly appear to have done so. It can only be hoped that they have struck a blow for transparency and good governance.
The figures released by Gao Qiang, executive deputy minister of health, certainly highlighted just how deep the Sars crisis is being felt - 346 confirmed infections across Beijing and a further 402 suspected cases. The numbers are nearly 10 times the original 37 confirmed cases that officials had been clinging to in the face of growing domestic concern and international criticism.
By the end of the afternoon, Mr Gao was announced as the party boss in the Health Ministry in place of Zhang Wenkang. Hainan party secretary Wang Qishan, meanwhile, has been named deputy Beijing party secretary, replacing Meng Xuenong. The pair's appointments as health minister and Beijing mayor are now seen as a formality.
Even one of the original whistle-blowers, veteran military doctor and party member Jiang Yanyong, expressed considerable surprise at the speed of events.
Those seeking the usual political motives may be disappointed. Mr Zhang had close ties to former president Jiang Zemin, while Mr Meng was considered a protege of Mr Hu. Instead, insiders and analysts were describing the move as a bold attempt by a new leadership to react to its first real crisis, an attempt to re-gain international credibility while easing domestic concerns.
