Zakaria and Wen: Round 2

If you haven't watched this interview, you probably should. It is the second interview that China's Premier Wen Jiabao has granted to Fareed Zakaria (transcript of the first interview found here). Beyond the rarity of a Chinese premier sitting down for a lengthy interview with a western journalist, what's striking is the content of what Wen said. And Zakaria asked pointed questions without seeming antagonistic, artfully broaching difficult subjects like political reforms in China without a sense of moral condescension. It was a respectful and revealing interview, both in how Zakaria demonstrated his good journalistic instincts and in how Wen smartly addressed and diffused some of the questions. I can see how Wen likes sitting down with Zakaria.

I think this was a significant interview on many fronts, coming two years before Wen's scheduled retirement from office. And it was significant enough that China felt compelled to censor the video. I'm too swamped right now to elaborate on some of the contents of the interview. More thoughts to come on this later...but for now, just watch: