This past weekend I was in Hong Kong to speak at a conference.  My topic was "China in Transition: Transitioning to What?" It was a brief look at 4 potential scenarios for China in the next 15 years.  Afterward I was asked for predictions.  I started out by making the disclaimer that only fools make predictions about what will happen in China, then said this:  "I will make, with confidence, the same prediction I have made every year since 1992—-that the next 5 years are the critical years for China; if she can make it through the next 5, she'll be fine….." 

I'm back in Beijing now, and ran across this quote on a blog called mbytes that I wish I had been able to use in my talk: 

"As one of my guides said – “China is a train – if you get on board and head in the same direction, you’ll get there with us.”

As the British say, BRILLIANT!!