Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao Calls for Reforms

Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao says China urgently needs to press on with political and economic reforms.

Wen made the comments in his final press conference before he steps down next year.

Anchor Marco Werman speaks with The World’s Beijing correspondent Mary Kay Magistad.

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Marco Werman: I’m Marco Werman. This is The World, a co-production of the BBC World Service, PRI and WGBH Boston. China’s communist leaders aren’t exactly a progressive bunch, but Prime Minister Wen Jiabao is more progressive than most and today he issued a dramatic call for change in China. Wen said the country must press ahead with critical political and economic reforms. The Chinese Prime Minister spoke at his last scheduled press conference before he steps down next year. The World’s Beijing correspondent, Mary Kay Magistad followed the news conference. Mary Kay, some rather surprising comments from the outgoing Chinese Premier, the number three in China’s political hierarchy. Give us a sense of the kind of surprising things he said.

Mary Kay Magistad: I think one of the most surprising things was the force with which he said that China needs political reform and needs it soon, that without political reform, economic reform can’t move ahead.

Wen Jiabao: [spoken in Chinese]

Interpreter: Now, reform in China has come to the critical stage. Without a successful political structural reform, it is impossible for us to fully institute economic structural reform, and the gains we have made in this area may be lost. New problems that have caught up in China’s society will not be fundamentally resolved and such historical tragedy as the cultural revolution may happen again.

Werman: How significant or unusual are comments like these, Mary Kay?

Magistad: Wen Jiabao has talked about political reform before, but he hasn’t put it quite so starkly. The question, what does he mean by political reform, is certainly a valid one and he actually said the leadership structure needs to be reformed. That’s what he said in the lead-up to what we just heard, but later when he was asked when will Chinese be able to elect their own top leaders, he kind of waffled.

Werman: And if Wen believes so strongly in reform, how come he’s done little about it during his nine years as China’s Premier?

Magistad: China’s leadership rules by consensus, or at least by the majority within the top nine people in the Politburo standing committee. Wen Jiabao is one of the nine. He was in a reformist government in the 1980′s. He was in the square with Jao Xiung in fact, when Jao was kicked out of office, but then Wen managed to survive and worked his way back up the leadership structure and it seems felt that he could do more good from within than outside, but it turned out that, I think history will judge this administration, these past nine years and it will be ten by the time they’re through, as one that made great strides in economic growth and in reaching out to new parts of the world, strengthening ties with Africa and Latin America, but also cracking down very hard on free expression and other civil rights at home, and it is an interesting question whether Wen could have done more and chose not to, or whether he did try within that group of nine and just didn’t succeed.

Werman: There was an intriguing sense of humility in Wen’s press conference today. Let’s hear another excerpt.

Jiabao: [spoken in Chinese]

Interpreter: Due to incompetent abilities and institutional and other factors, there is still much room for improvement in my work. Although I have never committed any intentional error in my work because of dereliction of duty, as head of the top executive body of the country, I should assume responsibility for the problems that have occurred in China’s economy and society during my term of office for which I feel truly sorry.

Werman: Mary Kay, should we expect this kind of contrition from an outgoing Chinese Premier about what he couldn’t accomplish or is there something especially surprising about this expression of really near guilt?

Magistad: Wen has long had the persona of being a man of the people, of being Grandpa Wen, of trying to do his best and maybe sometimes falling short, but recognizing that, and people do respond to that. I think that maybe he had an eye to his legacy. This is his last news conference as Premier and there was this melancholy tone. You know, he was talking about being like an old steed who would continue his journey to the end, about how he hopes the Chinese people will not forget him as he fades into oblivion and goes to his eternal rest. It’s interesting to think about he personally feels when he goes to bed at night, about what his legacy is in China and on balance, how the average Chinese person has fared.

Werman: The World’s Beijing correspondent, Mary Kay Magistad, speaking to us about the last news conference by Chinese Premier, Wen Jiabao. May Kay, good to speak with you. Thank you.

Magistad: Good to talk to you too, Marco, thanks.

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