Zhu Rongji and Wen Jiabao

Tony Saich had given a nice contrast between former and current Chinese Premiers Zhu Rongji (朱镕基) and Wen Jiabao (温家宝).

On his appointment as Chinese Premier, Zhu was said to have announced a dazzling array of policy priorities for reform, ranging from cutting the bureaucracy to revamping the grain system, and restructuring social welfare.

As Saich noted: "With energy dissipated across so many policy areas, it was impossible for him to keep on top of all of them, and with a recalcitrant bureaucracy and considerable vested interests digging in, his most ambitious schemes have been diverted."

Consequently, Zhu had to pull back and set his sights on one or two main priorities, and "to try to keep the momentum moving forward while making grand statements about the remaining objectives."

In contrast, Wen announced no grand strategies, and had made it clear that he would continue to restructure state-owned enterprises (SOEs) and bad policy loans, while paying more attention to the rural sector.

Personally, I am of the view that while Zhu might be indeed be more "colorful" than Wen, his successor's quiet determination and steady, incremental approach might eventually win the day.