There appears to be some heated debate going on within the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) regarding the future direction of China’s political reform.

CCP censorship recently ordered Internet sites and news organizations to delete all references to a recent rare interview of Premier Wen Jiabao by CNN. In that Sept. 23 interview (shown below), Mr. Wen said that “the people’s wishes for and needs for democracy and freedom are irresistible.”

According to yesterday’s New York Times, China’s main Communist Party newspaper, People’s Daily, bluntly rejected calls for speedier political reform, publishing a front-page commentary that said any changes in China’s political system should not emulate Western democracies, but “consolidate the party’s leadership so that the party commands the overall situation.”

A cheer for Premier Wen – near the end of the interview, Wen mentioned one of his most-read book is “The Theory of Moral Sentiments” by Adam Smith.   WOW!