Steve Roach of Morgan Stanley writes “For me, the highlight of the annual China Development Forum always comes at the end of the gathering — the traditional meeting with the Premier. Sometimes this exchange is tightly scripted, but at other times, it offers considerable food for thought. This was one of the latter examples. In a free-wheeling response to intense questioning from the assembled group of outside experts, Premier Wen Jiabao left little doubt of the strong resolve of the Chinese leadership in facing a series of daunting challenges in the years ahead.”

Can you imagine George Bush being capable of conducting an unrehearsed and freewheeling discussion session with a group of financiers and economists?