Beautiful diplomacy
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.