Press relations, China style

The Chinese Premier Li Keqiang is addressing the media on Tuesday at the Taj Palace Hotel, for which exclusive invitation cards are being distributed. The Chinese embassy, however, appears clueless about this. The media office there sounds exhausted and irritated. Calls are answered by one Mr Hu, who seems to have learnt some rudimentary Hindi by rote for the event. Ask him about the cards and his stock reply is: "Apna naam do, phone number do, theek hain", no matter how you introduce yourself and what you ask him. Everything is so shrouded in mystery that even the press officer, one Ms Zou, never comes to the phone. Every time you call her office, somebody new answers the call.