By Li Hongmei

During his recent sojourn in Shenzhen, actually his eighth trip to the booming city since taking office, Premier Wen Jiabao was quoted by Xinhua as saying, ""Without the safeguarding of political restructuring, China may lose what it has already achieved through economic restructuring and the targets of its modernization drive might not be reached."

Premier also revealed the leadership concerns that corruption and abuses may erode the country's economic prospects, and he did not stop here, but further stressed people have the right to criticize and monitor the government, and the governments at various levels need to pay greater heed to those made most vulnerable in achieving economic success.

Did Premier Wen go off-message, as some Western media blared? Definitely No. First, as a veteran statesman, he is supposed to be quite policy-savvy; and second, political reform has been actually and steadily sought after by the Chinese leadership in the post-Mao days, for instance, constantly strengthening the governing Party by all sorts of creative devices and new metrics. He did not imply a different path in departure from the Party's consistently pursued legacy. The assumptions of the kind made by some foreign media prove somewhat misleading.

As a matter of fact, Wen took great lengths to expound on "democracy with Chinese characteristics" or "accountability," and he also lashed out at what he cast as the unrestrained local authorities in China. For a trip that was supposed to be a simple celebration of China's success in three-decade's reform and opening-up, Wen's comments were, possibly, pointed, and profound reminders of what currently still needs improving, the political sphere included.

Back to political reform---- Only by complying with the consensus in public opinions, and the trend of the times, will the political reform go on the right track and in an orderly but active way.

Admittedly the top level of the Chinese leadership will always act as the paramount pushing hand behind the political reform. Without the effective operation from a strategically advantageous height, without the far-reaching strategic vision and the strong determination of the top leaders, and without the enlightenment of "emancipating the mind" and "courageously probing into the essence of the things", reform in any form and of any kind would be nothing but an empty talk.

But if the courage and resourcefulness of the leadership can be compared to a vessel braving storms at sea, public opinions will be the vast expanse of the sea carrying and propelling the great weight. After all, political reform is a complicated social project, which needs a smooth and gradual progress; and in the course, the leadership must bend its efforts to the grassroots voices. The past experience has manifested a fact that the consensus in public opinions serves as another decisive force, in addition to the role played by the leadership, in starting up and fueling political reform.

Also, viewed from the achievements scored from the 30 years' reform and opening up, the bold strategic steps mandated from above to bottom are, in actuality, the fruit born from the extensive support of the popular will and the public aspirations.