China's rapid rise to power and prominence

My New York Times tracker service just sends me an email whenever an article appears fitting the profile that I have setup. I have received two over the past week:

Report Calls Communist Party Rule Essential to Democracy in China which appeared on the October 20, 2005 International page, and

Rumsfeld Ends Beijing Visit With Talk With Chinese Officers , also appearing on October 20. Unless you are a subscribere to the Times Select service, you may not be able to get access to these articles in a few days. Check with your local public library since they may have full-text access to the New York Times.

Both articles are interesting in that they both discuss the same thing: China's rapid rise to power and prominence.