For China to advance, the gag must be lifted.

• Author: Kristof, Nicholas D.
• Position: Opinion - Brief Article

For the last century, the title of "most important place in the world" has belonged to the U.S., but that role seems likely to shift in this century to China. So what are China's new leaders, Hu Jintao and Wen Jiabao, really like? When they rose to the helm of the Communist Party two years ago, many hoped they would bring a new openness to a nation that is dynamic economically but stagnant intellectually. Instead, China has become more repressive. [There has been a crackdown on journalists and many have been sent to prison for "revealing state secrets" and exposing corruption.] "There was a period of openness ... when the new leaders first came to power," says Jiao...