Chinese Leadership Visits Snow-Stricken Areas

China’s worst snowstorm in a century posed the greatest challenge to Chinese President Hu Jintao and his leadership since he came into office in 2002.

The communist leadership sent members of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee to the affected areas to relief pains of the residents on the concern that belated relief efforts could cause turmoil before the Chinese New Year holiday, the most important holiday of the year.

▽ Senior Officials in Affected Areas

After Premier Wen Jiabao’s three-day visit to affected areas, six members of the standing committee of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee headed toward the areas at the request of President Hu on Jan. 30.

The six leaders, including Jia Qinglin, head of National Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC), Xi Jinping, vice-president-to-be, and Li Keqiang, vice-premier-to-be, visited Anhui, Guizhou, and Sichuan and met the residents, promising immediate relief efforts.

After receiving report from Wen, President Hu visited Shanxi Province and Qinhuangdao of Hebei Province to check the coalmines producing coals for electricity and its transportation conditions and encourage miners.

Premier Wen hosted a cabinet meeting to check the situation in the snow-stricken areas and to discuss measures on Feb. 1 and traveled to Hunan Province, one of the worst affected areas.

▽ Fourth Generation Leadership Faces Biggest Challenge Since SARS

It is the first time that the top communist leadership traveled to affected rural areas since November 2002 when Hu took the helm. Wu Bangguo, chairman of the Standing Committee of the 10th National People’s Congress (NPC), was excluded in the visit for the preparation of the 11th National People’s Congress, among its nine members.

“The Chinese leadership under President Hu faced one of the biggest political challenges since the outbreak of the SARS pandemic in 2003. If hundreds of millions of Chinese cannot spend the Chinese New Year holiday in their hometown, they can become a source of social instability, posing a threat to the leadership,” said Chinese media sources.

The Jingguang Line, a main railway artery connecting Beijing and Guangzhou, resumed on Jan. 30 and many of the difficulties in passenger transportation have been addressed as snowfall subsided. However, electricity supplies have not been solved yet and cargo transportation is still in trouble, raising prices of meat, eggs and vegetable as high as 50 percent.

The national forecasting authority forecast that little snow is expected Feb. 6-10, followed by heavy snow.

orionha@donga.com