I think the Chinese leadership get it

FWIW, Wen Jiabao is the more liberal figure and was pro-student in the Tiananmen Square protest. From <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wen_Jiabao" rel="nofollow">http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wen_Jiabao</a>, "...and accompanied General Secretary Zhao Ziyang to the Tiananmen Square during the 1989 Tiananmen Square Protests." Zhao Ziyang was removed from power and house arrested after the protest was crushed.<p>It's interesting to see how the governing-by-consensus-in-committee work in China, where each loosely formed faction having their representative in the committee. Even Wen Jiabao who was in the wrong end of a significant power struggle was able to become the prime minister later. Yet he's still unable to change the policies or reopen the Tiananmen case. It means no one faction gained upper hand and individual leader has little power. They have to get consensus from everyone else.

I would approach these speeches with a hefty dose of salt. Historically, communism has been one big systemic lie. For goodness sake, even in a democracy you can't take the leaders' rhetoric at face value! Do you think the Chinese who've read the translated speeches of George Bush now think that the invasion of Iraq was about human rights and nuclear nonproliferation? You have to look at the actions, not the words used to mask them.

I wouldn't be so hasty regarding Chinese development and overall politics. You should take into account the fact they're <i>Eastern</i> country with <i>Eastern</i> mentality. They take different approach from most western countries because they're different.<p>I guess, we shouldn't point fingers and say "Too bad they aren't democratic" or "Too bad communism is a lie" because we cannot really guarantee that what's good for us will be good for them.<p>FWIW, I think they'll continue to develop on their very own historical path disregard whatever western countries try to do.

China's people will make it happen. Their government seems to be contributing. China has great strength, and they compete globally. They are in the game. The fact is, the Chinese would be stupid not to build a just, fair and democratic society, for the universal benefits it endows. They aren't stupid.

So they're self-critical when speaking to western media? That could just be a PR move and have nothing to do with their actual motivations. Is there anything to suggest that they're actually trying to increase personal freedoms?<p>If anything it seems that they're just continuing business as usual, with The Great Firewall and other similar efforts. But I'm not very familiar with China's politics.

A couple of interesting things I've read about China.<p>Firstly many Chinese don't tie democracy and individual liberties together in the same way people in the west do.<p>Secondly I read that in China much is freeing up but the "3 Ts and an F" remain very sensitive. The "3 Ts and an F" are Tibet, Tiananmen, Taiwan and Falun Gong

It is quite amazing what totalitarian leaders are willing to say, but its always quite the opposite of what they will do. It always awes me when they speak, I think to myself "Yeah, exactly, they finally get it" but soon realize that its just talk.