As you dial, a fresh force is emerging

One reason why so many people are wary about where China is heading today is that many things its leaders have planned and promised have failed to materialize - at least not so far.

Anyone who is aware of the road China has traveled since the 1970s, 1980s and 1990s to get to where it is today may feel that when they compare these days with those there are strong similarities. Both were times when people yearned for rapid change, but when it did come it was a bit messier than most had expected.

Just think about how little of a market economy there was then, when its driving philosophy - to let supply and demand determine prices - was allowed to apply only to grocery stores. And just think how strong the bureaucratic economy was, when State-owned enterprise directors complained that they lacked the power to build a new toilet for their workers, and had to wait for approval from heaven knows how many "relevant authorities".