China's Minister of Agriculture Du Qinglin joined other senior government figures in tucking into a "chicken lunch" under the media spotlight Monday to spread the message that eating properly cooked and prepared chicken was safe. 

Vice Minister of Health Gao Qiang, a self-proclaimed "animal protector", had his first taste of chicken in 30 years at the health ministry's canteen.

The central and local governments have intensified quality supervision and quarantine of live poultry and suspended imports of birds and poultry from affected areas, but many people have decided to give up eating chicken and eggs.

"It is safe to have chicken because all the chicken here is from areas without bird flu," Du Qinglin, Minister of Agriculture, said to reporters and his colleagues while ordering dishes like chicken braised in brown sauce.

"Just relax and help yourselves," said Du at the canteen in the Ministry of Agriculture.

Monday's displays were the latest move by Chinese authorities to allay public fears of avian influenza by hundreds of officials, including ministers, provincial governors, mayors and grassroots cadres, in Beijing, Shanghai, Guangdong, Zhejiang and Hainan.

Experts said the frequent public chicken dinners indicated that the government had become increasingly open in crisis management by taking practical steps rather than issuing administrative documents.

"Such acts imply Chinese officials have started to shift from traditional propaganda to Western-style political communications skills to handle crises," said Professor Li Xiguang, director of the International Communications Research Center at Tsinghua University.

"The moves will help comfort common people about the bird flu outbreak," Li said.

More than 1.21 million chickens, ducks and geese have been slaughtered since Jan. 27 when the mainland confirmed its first case of bird flu in southwest Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, which borders Vietnam.

China is among the world's largest poultry producers, putting out 40 percent of the world's eggs while its annual chicken output tops 12 million tons, figures from the Chinese Ministry of Agriculture show.

"The governments and officials should act immediately if the avian flu has caused great panic among the public," said Professor Zhou Qiren, an economist with the China Economy Research Center of Peking University.

"The effect of propaganda in the media can't compare with the examples set by senior officials," Zhou said.

The state media also focused on the "chicken meals", saying such moves should continue as they gave the government a people-friendly face.

The lead by officials has made some achievements in easing fears, at least at a little restaurant in Beijing near the Ministry of Agriculture.

"We have no reason to fear eating chicken if Minister Du Qinglin himself eats it," said a customer who did not want to be named while ordering chicken for his supper.

Jia Youling, general director of stock breeding with the Ministry of Agriculture, agreed.

"It is unnecessary to abandon chicken cuisine just because parts of the country report bird flu cases," Jia said.

Confirmed or suspected bird flu cases have been reported in Guangxi Zhuang and Xinjiang Uygur autonomous regions, Guangdong, Hubei, Anhui, Zhejiang, Yunnan, Hunan, Henan, Jiangxi and Gansu provinces, and Shanghai and Tianjin municipalities.

(Xinhua News Agency February 10, 2004)