politics - On frank admissions

Last week - another item I missed - the old news leaked out formally: premier Wen Jiabao admitted in the last week of December that the rising unrest on the countryside was a threat for China and he blamed local officials, eager to make a buck on land deals and other kinds of corruption.
But it seems to be in the air. According to the BBC Zhou Shengxian, China's environmental chief, said another 100 chemical companies offer a threat to the country's watersupplies. Hardly news, but from this official a rather candid admission.
Both incidents indicate that the central government is really not having the clout to do something about the issue, I'm afraid.

Update: The BBC has been too conservative: other sources mention the figure of 21,000 chemical plants that are a risk, also quoting Zhou Shengxian.