Speaking to the Central Research Institute of Culture and History last week, he urged its members to “speak the truth,” criticising the moral decline of society. “We must create conditions for people to speak the truth,” he said, because, “For the government's policy to be . . . in line with people's wishes, one must listen to people's opinions.” Indeed, “A country without improvements in the quality of people and moral strength cannot be a truly strong country respected by others," he explained.

For years, Wen has pushed for political reforms. Statements he made last year raised expectations, but they were all but ignored in last March’s General People’s Congress.

Experts note that Wen’s support for democracy and the rule of law comes at a time when the country is experiencing its worst crackdown since 1998. Since mid-February, the authorities have in fact arrested hundreds of pro-democracy and human rights activists fearing a possible Chinese-styled Jasmine Revolution.

In a statement yesterday, Chinese Human Rights Defenders (CHRD) said that at least 39 people were illegally detained at present, whilst another 21 had “disappeared” in the past few weeks in police custody.

Of the 39 people officially held by the authorities, five were formally arrested, three were sent to forced labour (re-education-through-labour) camps without a trial, whilst 14 were released. The rest are still in prison.

Last Saturday, the CHRD reported that Dong Jiqin, husband of detained activist Ni Yulan, was also arrested for “creating a disturbance”.

Meanwhile, Li Tie went on trial in Wuhan. He has been in prison since September 2010 for “subversion of state power”.

In court, Li was represented by a lawyer appointed by local public security officials. The lawyer hired by Li's family, Jin Guanghong, went missing on 10 April and has not been heard from ever since.

Prosecutors have called for a ten-year sentence against Li, claiming that his articles criticising the government and his contributions to “reactionary” websites were evidence of his criminal behaviour. In his writings, Li usually spoke about democracy and political reforms.

It is “ironic and tragic,” said Prof Joseph Cheng Yu-shek, a political scientist at City University of Hong Kong, to realise how much Wen is unable to bring political openness to the country. “You have people in the party who might be interested in reforms but they are certainly in the minority and can't do much”.

Prof Chan Kin-man, a China expert at the Chinese University of Hong Kong, said the government only has itself to blame for the severe level of moral degeneration. The situation would not have been as bad had civil groups and the media been allowed to investigate government and business misconduct.