Former premier Li Peng made a rare appearance last week, after disappearing from public view for months as rumours grew that he was in poor health.
The People's Railway News yesterday reported that Mr Li inspected the high-speed Beijing-Tianjin rail service and Beijing South Station. Photos showed him talking to a railway official in the driver's cab and sitting with his wife, Zhu Lin .
The report, which coincided with an announcement that the Communist Party's third plenum will be held between October 9 and 12, has been seen as a message that despite his absence from major events this year, Mr Li is still a political force.
He did not attend the Beijing Olympics or the cremation of Hua Guofeng, the man picked by a dying Mao Zedong to succeed him as party chairman.
It was rumoured Mr Li was too ill to attend.
Describing him as 'hale and hearty', the report said Mr Li inquired about the design and operation of Beijing South Station, which Railways Minister Liu Zhijun said had become a transport hub.
