Leaders of some Chinese-American communities and a Chinese-language newspaper on Sunday lauded Premier Wen Jiabao's online chat with netizens in Beijing a day earlier.

Wen's online chat with netizens shows that the top leadership of the Communist Party of China (CPC) is paying ever closer attention to public opinion, said Steven Wong, acting chairman of the United Federation of Chinese Associations.

Premier Wen rushed to the affected areas immediately after the snow disaster in China's south and the devastating earthquake in the southwest last year to comfort survivors, winning him widespread respect, Wong said.

On the eve of the opening of the annual sessions of the National People's Congress and the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, Wen held direct dialogue with netizens to solicit opinions and suggestions from the public, which is not only a boost to public morale, but is also conducive to solving problems in society at large, he said.

Liu Jianmin, chairman of the Greater Los Angeles Area Federation of Promoting China's Unification, said Wen's online chat with Chinese netizens is all the more meaningful as it was held on the eve of the annual meetings of the national legislature and the top advisory body.

Through direct dialogue with vast numbers of netizens, the Chinese leaders could have a deeper understanding of what the ordinary people have in their minds.

The World Journal, the widest-circulation Chinese-language newspaper in North America, carried the online chat as the headline news on its Chinese Mainland edition.

The report drew attention to the remarks of Premier Wen who emphasized the importance of confidence to fighting the spreading global financial crisis, pledged continued efforts to improve health care and stressed that training and preferential tax measures were needed to encourage rural migrant workers to start their own businesses.

On Saturday afternoon, Wen held a two-hour online chat with Chinese netizens jointly run by the central government web site www.gov.cn and the Xinhua News Agency web site www.xinhuanet.com.

Source: Xinhua