Cabs in China’s capital are notoriously hard to flag down, but chauffeur-borne senior officials rarely need a ride, and on Thursday uproar erupted over a report, later retracted, that the country’s top leader had taken a clandestine ride to mix with ordinary people.
A Hong Kong newspaper that often publishes stories favorable to the Chinese government, Ta Kung Pao, reported that the Chinese Communist Party chief, Xi Jinping, took a $4.40 ride from an inner-city Beijing neighborhood known for its bars to a hotel on the west side of town, bringing momentary celebrity to his reported cabby, Guo Lixin, and plaudits for Mr. Xi.
China’s official Xinhua news agency first confirmed the story through its feed on the country’s Twitter-like “Weibo” service, citing city transportation authorities and the Hong Kong newspaper. But later a Xinhua bulletin said the report was false, and Ta Kung Pao removed the report and a special Web page about what appeared to be a propaganda coup. The story was reported by several media outlets, including The New York Times.
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Chris Buckley, New York Times via CHINA US Focus http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/ChinaUsFocus/~3/09cy3mkkMC8/
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