On the eve of his visit to Europe, Premier Wen Jiabao held an interview with foreign media inside Zhongnanhai. The full text of the interview is here, via The Times. Reuters reports:
Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao pledged progress on sustainable economic growth, currency reform and democracy on Tuesday but stressed change would be gradual rather than radical.
Wen also sought to flex China’s diplomatic muscle by urging Iran to heed international concerns over its weapons programs but said dialogue, not sanctions, was the proper means of securing solutions to the Iran and North Korean nuclear crises.
Wen, in a wide-ranging interview with Reuters and a small group of foreign media, stressed that resolving conflicts ranging from the economic to the diplomatic in a harmonious manner was critical to the sustainable development of the world’s fourth-largest economy. [Full text]