Our Supreme Leader has gone to China to meet its Supreme Leader. Nick Robinson of the BBC reports on a question and answer session held by Gordon Brown and his opposite number Wen Jiabao.
One penetrating enquiry came from the chairwoman of a local village party organisation. She asked "what the Chinese government will do to continue to increase people's well being".
Robinson cites this as evidence of how far China has still to go in releasing the iron grip of party control. I don't know. It sounded like our own Prime Minister's Questions to me.
Our Captain is renowned for his ability to skulk on the poop deck and ignore any big waves, falling rigging, cheating crew, etc. It is good to read that he will be disembarking, for a change, to play table tennis with some of his host's citizens. And to sign some export sales agreements (let's hope he's not 'late' for that one). I overheard some of his fellow officers muttering mutinously - I didn't like the sound of it. Seemed they were planning for him to be - what's the word? - shanghaied.
Posted by: john problem | Friday, 18 January 2008 at 12:03 PM