Fareed Zakaria recently interviewed Wen Jiabao, premier of China:
ZAKARIA: You speak in your speeches about how China is not yet a strong and creative nation, in terms of its economy. Can you be as strong and creative a nation with so many restrictions on freedom of expression, with the Internet being censored? Don't you need to open all that up if you want true creativity?
WEN (through translator): I believe freedom of speech is indispensable, for any country, a country in the course of development and a country that has become strong. Freedom of speech has been incorporated into the Chinese constitution.
I don't think you know all about China on this point. In China, there are about 400 million Internet users and 800 million mobile phone subscribers. They can access the Internet to express their views, including critical views.
I often logon to the Internet and I have read sharp critical comments on the work of the government, on the Internet, and also there are commendable words about the work of the government.
I often say that we should not only let people have the freedom of speech, we more importantly must create conditions to let them criticize the work of the government. It is only when there is the supervision and critical oversight from the people that the government will be in a position to do an even better job, and employees of government departments will be the true public servants of the people.
All these must be conducted within the range allowed by the constitution and the laws. So that the country will have a normal order, and that is all the more necessary for such a large country as China with 1.3 billion people.
ZAKARIA: Premier Wen, since we are being honest, when I come to China and tried to use the Internet, there are many sites that are blocked. It is difficult to get information. Any opinion that seems to challenge the political primacy of the party is not allowed? Hu Yaobang, for example, was not somebody who could be mentioned in "The China Daily" until your own article appeared. It seems like all the restrictions, the vast apparatus that monitors the Internet are going to make it difficult for your people to truly be creative and to truly do what it seems you wish them to do.
WEN (through translator): I believe I and all the Chinese people have such a conviction that China will make continuous progress, and the people's wishes for and needs for democracy and freedom are irresistible. I hope that you will be able to gradually see the continuous progress of China.
I found this interview fascinating when I watched it on TV a few weeks ago and I couldn't seem to get it out of I head, mostly I think because it offers a distincly "de-Westernized" understanding of capitalism and media censorship in China. The Rethinking media studies in China article argues that Western media theories need to be adapted to truly understand and assess media in China specifically, for cultural reasons and also because "no other country is moving from planned socialism to market socialism" (Eric Kit-wai Ma, 32) In this interview, Wen references Adam Smith when describing the Chinese economy. Seeing as Adam Smith has been called the father of capitalism which based on free markets, and the Chinese economy is under strict control of centralized government planning, this seems like a paradox. When it comes to the issue of free speech, I wonder if Wen is honestly convinced of the freedom of expression in China or driving the Chinese agenda by consiously lying. I think this interview might be helpful in understanding the agenda setting of the Chinese government for the knifing group!
Video Clip: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GaEEr-Q7fME&feature=related - 7 min
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-rsu0L9sdus - Market economy in socialist country
Interview Transcipt: http://archives.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/1010/03/fzgps.01.html
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