One more stick, Dave... Those brilliant Chinese political economists in non-government thinktanks won't agree with you...

those "brilliant' :)

I agree with you, and we shall see.

As to the audience being foreign press, why would that make any difference? All speech from Chinese leaders were carefully drafted by their secretary, and each word was weighted, esp those spoken to foreigners.

Whoever suggested the 'foreign audience' comment obviously does not understand CCP.

Dave, this week's Economist has a related story discussing the "Super Girl" phenomena:

CHINA is trying to digest the implications of a popular vote involving millions of people across the country. Never mind that the ballots were cast for contestants in a televised singing competition, and that only those with the means to send text messages by mobile phone could take part. A front-page headline last week in the state-run Beijing Today put the question with astonishing frankness: “Is Super Girl a Force for Democracy?”

In a country conspicuously lacking in democratic choice, this rare opportunity to vote and make a difference—even if only to the outcome of the “Mengniu Sour Yoghurt Super Voice Girl” competition—has inspired a remarkable debate. The discussion has been fuelled by huge public enthusiasm for the show, a programme similar to “American Idol” and its predecessor “Pop Idol” in Britain. It was broadcast by a satellite television station in Hunan province and relayed nationwide on cable networks. The organisers say some 400m people watched the final on August 27th—nearly a third of the population. Around 8m text message votes were cast.

“Super Girl”, as the show is commonly known, appealed mainly because of its racy format (at least until the authorities began insisting on more downbeat folksy songs) and the pleasure that many enjoy from watching amateur singers embarrass themselves. Rebellious young women apparently identified with the self-confident and boyish-looking winner, Li Yuchun. Groups of fans campaigned in the streets.

Some of China's more daring newspapers have seized on the chance to put “Super Girl” in a political context. An article widely carried on state media websites said the contest had caused Chinese intellectuals to “fantasise about arrangements for democratic elections and notice the awakening of democratic consciousness among the younger generation.” But the China Daily loyally expressed scepticism, asking, “How come an imitation of a democratic system ends up selecting the singer who has the least ability to carry a tune?” That, of course, is democracy.

Haha, the 2nd best quote I've heard in this week, nice!

How come an imitation of a democratic system ends up selecting the singer who has the least ability to carry a tune

BTW: still, the best is:

Katrina showed us how much we need a government, and how inefficient a government can be.

Yes Simon and Lin, that is a fabulous quote. And democracy, like God, works in mysterious ways...milkmaids singing karaoke, for instance.

Sun Bin, you're right, I think we'd need to go back a few decades to find a Chinese leader that made unscripted remarks, to either a foreign or domestic audience. I think though, the fact that this move sends a clear domestic message, means that the leadership is willing to share their vision of the future with the people at large.

Let's hope for the best!

Sorry to rain on your "I told you so" parade HKDave, but your temporal sequence is a bit out of whack. The Hu Yaobang story actually broke internationally over a week ago (Reuters reported on it on September 4 and it was discussed on The Peking Duck on that day by many including myself, Wen Wei Po confirmed it the next day, SCMP had it on September 7). You posted your original China: Democracy on the way topic on September 5 mentioning Wen's reported statements of that day (not sure why you think he was overseas, he was definitely in Beijing). In commenting on that thread I thought you were fully aware of the prospective rehabilitation.

Yes, the news has been around for some time, but I wanted to discuss it as a sign that there is momentum for a re-consideration of political liberalization, and demonstrate that the comment I discussed earlier was not happening in isolation. About the temporal sequence, I guess I don't see my role, as some bloggers do, as one of 'reporting' on events, because I find myself after all relying mostly on second hand sources. Perhaps I should pay more attention to what is happening on other sites though - I missed the discussion you mentioned.