Listening to the public

Less than two weeks before the 2010 plenary session of the National People's Congress, Zhongnanhai is all ears to public feedback on a government work report set to open the national legislature's annual session.

For the first time in years, Premier Wen Jiabao compared notes with ordinary rural residents about the report, and then solicited opinion from a Beijing neighborhood. Those were not simply gestures to instill a sense of relevance in the general public, but also a good way to glimpse into the minds of those whose voices would otherwise not be heard.

The government knows what needs to be done. But to make a more sensible roadmap for a new year, those charting the nation's course of development do need to listen, and listen more, to the people on the street.