Wen Jiabao, China’s premier, promised Beijing would do more to boost flagging growth in the Chinese economy in the coming months as he delivered a spirited defence of his economic legacy and his decade in power.
His speech at the World Economic Forum in the eastern Chinese city of Tianjin on Tuesday is likely to be his last high-profile appearance on the global stage before he is replaced as the third most senior cadre in the Chinese Communist party next month. He is scheduled to step down as China’s premier in March next year.
The country will undergo a once-in-a-decade leadership transition next month with Xi Jinping expected to be anointed as the new leader of the Communist party. But Mr Xi has not been seen for more than a week amid frenzied speculation as to his whereabouts, and by Tuesday he had still not appeared.