Democracy comes second in race for prosperity, says Chinese leader

1.  Wen Jiabao, the Chinese Prime Minister, made clear that a visit to one of the oldest democracies in the world would not encourage Beijing to accelerate the introduction of direct elections at home.

2.  China’s progress towards democracy would be a very gradual process, and the Prime Minister avoided giving a timetable. He cited the country’s huge size, its enormous population and the large gaps between rich and poor, educated and uneducated as reasons for the Communist Party’s decision to delay change.

3.  The absence of democracy posed no obstacle to the advance of economic reform, in his view.

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,25689-2344628.html#Scene_1