Disasters are common in China, but prime ministerial press conferences aren’t. By taking journalists’ questions at the site of Saturday’s train crash, Wen Jiabao did his best to show that he both understands and shares the public’s concerns about the safety of high-speed rail and the importance of a fair and transparent investigation into the causes of the accident.

That show of concern, however, would have been more powerful if it had been broadcast live across the country by CCTV, instead of the Hong Kong-based Phoenix TV.

China’s bloggers might have also listened more sympathetically to Wen’s statements if he hadn’t prefaced the question-and-answer session with what sounded like an excuse:

“I have been ill recently and have been confined to bed for 11 days. It was not until today that the doctor reluctantly gave me the permission to check out of the hospital. That is why I am here six days after the accident. I’m ready to take your questions.”

That comment was omitted from the initial official Xinhua transcript of the press conference, though it was included in the more complete version of the transcript that was posted to the site later in the afternoon.

The mention of Wen’s illness set off a mass online search into Wen’s whereabouts over the past 10 days. The search revealed that, in the last ten days, the Chinese Premier had been extending condolences to his Norwegian counterpart , and posing for photographs with the President of Cameroon last Friday and Japanese businessmen on Sunday.

He does look a little fatigued alongside Paul Biya, but he didn’t receive his guests from a hospital bed.

Links and Sources
Phoenix TV: Footage of Premier Wen’s Press Conference

Xinhua: Official Transcript of Press Conference
Gov.cn: Page Devoted to Wen Jiabao’s Activities