"The top priority of the government is to further strengthen and improve macro-regulatory policy measures in order to sustain a stable and fairly rapid economic growth rate," Wen said.
When China embarked on its economic "reform and opening policy" in the late1970s, it decided to begin flirting with the ideas of 18th century free marketeer Adam Smith.
In combination with command economy policies, that relationship continues today, and, is one that China will have to resolve sooner rather than later if the economy is to fly straight, analysts said.
"China has an important strategic choice to make, and that is what type of policy strategy is going to be most effective in dealing with the growth management of today's Chinese economy," Roach said.
"It really asks the more basic question of `is China still a state-owned economy or is it an increasingly market-driven economy,'" Roach said.
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