Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
03BEIJING16342
2003-11-12 10:22:00
CONFIDENTIAL
Embassy Beijing
how-toP 121022Z NOV 03 FM AMEMBASSY BEIJING TO SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 2888 INFO AMEMBASSY TOKYO AMEMBASSY SEOUL AMCONSUL GUANGZHOU AMCONSUL SHENYANG AMCONSUL SHANGHAI AMCONSUL HONG KONG AMCONSUL ZEN/CHENGDU JICPAC HONOLULU HI USCINCPAC HONOLULU HI AIT TAIPEI 7001
C O N F I D E N T I A L BEIJING 016342
E.O. 12958: DECL: 11/12/2013
TAGS: PGOV CH
SUBJECT: WEN JIABAO'S DOMESTIC TRAVEL HABITS
Classified By: Political Minister Counselor Jon Aloisi.
Reasons 1.4 (b) and (d)
Summary
-------
C O N F I D E N T I A L BEIJING 016342
E.O. 12958: DECL: 11/12/2013
TAGS: PGOV CH
SUBJECT: WEN JIABAO'S DOMESTIC TRAVEL HABITS
Classified By: Political Minister Counselor Jon Aloisi.
Reasons 1.4 (b) and (d)
Summary
--------------
1. (C) Ministry of Civil Affairs (MOCA) Director
General Wang Zhenyao (strictly protect) has helped
arrange three of Premier Wen Jiabao's domestic trips
since last year and reports that Wen's intellectual
curiosity and impatience with bureaucratic practices
can cause "headaches" for his staff and handlers when
the Premier travels. Wang said Wen has modest
personal needs, but constantly queries subordinates
about his itinerary and often deviates from his
schedule because he is consumed with getting an
"unfiltered" view of local areas. End Summary.
Just the Facts
--------------
2. (C) MOCA Department of Disaster and Socal Relief
Director General Wang Zhenyao told oloff November 6
that, from his experience heping to arrange three of
Premier Wen Jiabao's recent trips to disaster areas,
he has concluded that Wen's natural intellectual
curiosity and impatience with standard bureaucratic
practices make him a formidable traveler for whom to
make arrangements. Wang said Wen dislikes
choreographed schedules and frequently deviates from
the itinerary set by his aides. Citing an example,
Wang recalled that earlier this year in Shaanxi, Wen
frequently ordered his driver to stop suddenly so that
he could talk to villagers about their lives. "Wen
does not chitchat in these conversations, but asks
very specific questions about living standards," Wang
said. For example, Wen asked villagers about the
amount of grain they harvested per unit of farmland,
the cost of transporting their yield to market and the
price they got per unit sold. Wen does not want to
hear only from the local Party leaders, who tend to
gloss over blemishes, but from the peasants
themselves, Wang offered.
Itinerary Changes
--------------
3. (C) Such impulsiveness can be a "headache" for
schedulers because Wen is constantly questioning his
itinerary. "If you arrange for him to visit one
village, he asks why he wasn't scheduled to visit
another nearby village," Wang said. According to
Wang, Wen fears that he will hear "prettified and
filtered views" on his trips, so he insists on
injecting spontaneity into his travels.
"Let's Make a Deal"
--------------
4. (C) To illustrate Wen's distaste for the common
practice among Chinese officials of woodenly reading
their work reports, Wang recounted an incident from
Wen's travel to several central provinces last winter,
while he was still a Vice Premier. During this trip,
which Wang also arranged, Wen listened to a local
mayor drone on and on about his city's successful
handling of emergencies. According to Wang, Wen
became so frustrated with the mayor's monotone
presentation that the following exchange took place:
"Mr. Mayor, can you deliver your report without
referring to your text," Wen asked. "Mr. Vice
Premier, I refer to my manuscript because it contains
a lot of statistics," the mayor replied. "Mr. Mayor,
you have been an official in this city for several
years now. Surely you must have a command of the
statistics that reflect how life is for the city's
residents," Wen chastised. "I'll make you a deal,"
Wen continued. "If you put away your text, then I'll
put away mine when it is my turn to speak."
Embarrassed, the mayor pushed his manuscript to the
side, but continued to take frequent peeks when the
Vice Premier was not looking, Wang wryly noted. "That
poor mayor," Wang remarked. "It was the middle of
winter yet he was perspiring through his shirt." Wang
stressed that Wen was very polite throughout the
encounter and did not lose his cool.
Simple Personal Needs
--------------
5. (C) On the trips that Wang arranged for Wen, Wen's
personal requirements were very simple. He preferred
to eat modestly and alone in his hotel room rather
than take part in fancy banquets, which provincial
officials would have gladly hosted, Wang recalled.
The Minister of Civil Affairs, Li Xueju, whom Wang
noted is close to Hu Jintao, accompanies Wen
frequently on domestic trips and has relayed similar
anecdotes about the Premier indicating that he is a
focused and unpretentious traveler.
Comment
--------------
6. (C) Wang's view that the Premier is a detail-
oriented taskmaster who has simple tastes tracks
closely with the assessments of others in Beijing who
have worked with the Premier.
RANDT
E.O. 12958: DECL: 11/12/2013
TAGS: PGOV CH
SUBJECT: WEN JIABAO'S DOMESTIC TRAVEL HABITS
Classified By: Political Minister Counselor Jon Aloisi.
Reasons 1.4 (b) and (d)
Summary
--------------
1. (C) Ministry of Civil Affairs (MOCA) Director
General Wang Zhenyao (strictly protect) has helped
arrange three of Premier Wen Jiabao's domestic trips
since last year and reports that Wen's intellectual
curiosity and impatience with bureaucratic practices
can cause "headaches" for his staff and handlers when
the Premier travels. Wang said Wen has modest
personal needs, but constantly queries subordinates
about his itinerary and often deviates from his
schedule because he is consumed with getting an
"unfiltered" view of local areas. End Summary.
Just the Facts
--------------
2. (C) MOCA Department of Disaster and Socal Relief
Director General Wang Zhenyao told oloff November 6
that, from his experience heping to arrange three of
Premier Wen Jiabao's recent trips to disaster areas,
he has concluded that Wen's natural intellectual
curiosity and impatience with standard bureaucratic
practices make him a formidable traveler for whom to
make arrangements. Wang said Wen dislikes
choreographed schedules and frequently deviates from
the itinerary set by his aides. Citing an example,
Wang recalled that earlier this year in Shaanxi, Wen
frequently ordered his driver to stop suddenly so that
he could talk to villagers about their lives. "Wen
does not chitchat in these conversations, but asks
very specific questions about living standards," Wang
said. For example, Wen asked villagers about the
amount of grain they harvested per unit of farmland,
the cost of transporting their yield to market and the
price they got per unit sold. Wen does not want to
hear only from the local Party leaders, who tend to
gloss over blemishes, but from the peasants
themselves, Wang offered.
Itinerary Changes
--------------
3. (C) Such impulsiveness can be a "headache" for
schedulers because Wen is constantly questioning his
itinerary. "If you arrange for him to visit one
village, he asks why he wasn't scheduled to visit
another nearby village," Wang said. According to
Wang, Wen fears that he will hear "prettified and
filtered views" on his trips, so he insists on
injecting spontaneity into his travels.
"Let's Make a Deal"
--------------
4. (C) To illustrate Wen's distaste for the common
practice among Chinese officials of woodenly reading
their work reports, Wang recounted an incident from
Wen's travel to several central provinces last winter,
while he was still a Vice Premier. During this trip,
which Wang also arranged, Wen listened to a local
mayor drone on and on about his city's successful
handling of emergencies. According to Wang, Wen
became so frustrated with the mayor's monotone
presentation that the following exchange took place:
"Mr. Mayor, can you deliver your report without
referring to your text," Wen asked. "Mr. Vice
Premier, I refer to my manuscript because it contains
a lot of statistics," the mayor replied. "Mr. Mayor,
you have been an official in this city for several
years now. Surely you must have a command of the
statistics that reflect how life is for the city's
residents," Wen chastised. "I'll make you a deal,"
Wen continued. "If you put away your text, then I'll
put away mine when it is my turn to speak."
Embarrassed, the mayor pushed his manuscript to the
side, but continued to take frequent peeks when the
Vice Premier was not looking, Wang wryly noted. "That
poor mayor," Wang remarked. "It was the middle of
winter yet he was perspiring through his shirt." Wang
stressed that Wen was very polite throughout the
encounter and did not lose his cool.
Simple Personal Needs
--------------
5. (C) On the trips that Wang arranged for Wen, Wen's
personal requirements were very simple. He preferred
to eat modestly and alone in his hotel room rather
than take part in fancy banquets, which provincial
officials would have gladly hosted, Wang recalled.
The Minister of Civil Affairs, Li Xueju, whom Wang
noted is close to Hu Jintao, accompanies Wen
frequently on domestic trips and has relayed similar
anecdotes about the Premier indicating that he is a
focused and unpretentious traveler.
Comment
--------------
6. (C) Wang's view that the Premier is a detail-
oriented taskmaster who has simple tastes tracks
closely with the assessments of others in Beijing who
have worked with the Premier.
RANDT