How times have changed. When the Chinese premier met the American president in Washington, it was Wen Jiabao - from a nominally communist one-party regime that suppresses internal criticism - who called for more global co-operation to solve shared problems on a pragmatic basis. These days, it is George W. Bush - leader of the nation that stands foursquare for democracy and individual freedoms - who so often leans towards harsher, unilateral and more ideological means.
Their working styles and reputations reflect these differences. The character 'wen' means moderation and modesty, and those who have met the Chinese premier say the words are well-suited to him. Mr Bush, by contrast, comes across as a transplanted easterner with an adopted Texas swagger; much of the world sees him as a man who sometimes shoots first and talks later, and, dangerously - as in Iraq - someone who may shoot before thinking through the consequences.
Things, of course, are not that simple; caricatures leave no room for nuance or context, and the two leaders face often-contrasting pressures and priorities. China and America are at vastly different stages of economic development, for example, and have assumed differing degrees of responsibility for upholding world order.
Yet these perceptions are widely held, and help explain why Beijing's foreign policy is doing quite nicely, thank you, while Washington's faces growing trouble around the globe, not least in Asia.
One of Washington's problems is that much of its Asian diplomacy is built around a short-term agenda - terrorism - that others embrace with less enthusiasm, even warily. Thus, when Mr Bush attended the recent Asia-Pacific summit meeting in Bangkok, he urged Asian leaders, above all else, to capture or kill terrorists within their borders. But he gave only cursory attention to the more peaceful economic issues they care about so deeply.
Contrast that with the approach of President Hu Jintao, who was there, too. He made it clear that China also opposes international terrorism. But he put more emphasis on longer-term issues like trade and investment, regional security, the environment and the wisdom of relying more on the United Nations and other multilateral agencies when seeking common solutions to shared problems. In sum, he left other Asians somewhat reassured about China's growing power, while Mr Bush left them a bit worried about what the Americans might do next.