The same image of Premier Wen Jiabao comforting a crying boy was used on most Beijing newspaper front pages today. The accompanying articles claimed that Wen cried together with the boy.
Wen was on a New Year visit to northwest China’s Shanxi Province where he declared that production safety must be improved this year to avoid major mining accidents. Shanxi’s many coal mines are frequently in the news because of accidents, often caused by poor safety standards.
Wen arrived in the Tongchuan Mining Bureau on New Year’s Day on a visit to family members of miners who had died in the Chenjiashan Coal Mine gas explosion. In the evening, he called a meeting of local leading officials and experts on improving coal mining safety.
During his visit to the family of Niu Tieqi, deputy chief engineer of the mine before his death, tears apparently came out of Wen’s eyes as he listened to family members recalling memories of Niu.
The pictured front page is from The Beijing News