From the Chinese press

Officials, reach out to the people

A noticeable trend before the annual sessions of the National People's Congress (NPC) and the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) National Committee was central leaders' interaction with the grassroots. On Feb 27, Premier Wen Jiabao's online interaction with netizens covered almost all the hot social issues such as rising housing prices, college graduates' employment and education of migrant workers' children, says an article in People's Daily. Excerpts:

Central government leaders have made it a practice to communicate with the common people. Earlier this year during his dialogue with netizens, Premier Wen emphasized several times the government's determination to solve people's problems and sought their trust.