I have been searching in vain for some fresh faces and thinking in the Chinese delegation to Davos. Representatives from other countries typically bring a broad range of perspectives on world affairs and some feisty commentary on the situation in their home countries to the table. The Chinese delegation, in contrast, seems overpopulated with senior officials and business leaders who simply serve up the party line.

It is a sad state of affairs when a senior Chinese speaker can do little more than repeat official dogma on democracy and China's policy of non-interference in other nations--a fairy tale long put to bed by more than a half century of meddling in Africa and Southeast Asia. There are plenty of people in China who would be more than willing to help the Davos movers and shakers understand how the country has changed and how it needs to change. If any of them are at the gathering this year, I hope they come out of the woodwork. Apparently, there is a lot of talk at this year's forum about a power shift from west to east. But until the Chinese government is legitimately powerful enough to withstand some divergent opinions, people inside and outside the Davos tent will be reduced to swallowing the party line.