Lee Kuan Yew is interviewed “recently” by Xinhua.  Could this be from back in August, when Lee visited Beijing for the Olympics?  The Chinese Pravda makes even the Straits Times seem restrained:

SINGAPORE, Sept. 25 (Xinhua) — Singapore’s Minister Mentor Lee Kuan Yew has praised China for the remarkable achievements over the past three decades, saying that China’s role in regional and international affairs will increase with its higher status and the respect that it has gained. …

“In the 70s, big cities like Beijing and Shanghai had decaying buildings, full of bicycles day and night, poorly lighted streets, everyone in grey or blue Mao jackets. Now China’s cities, those along the coast, have spanking new high-rises, wide motorways, bridges and tunnels across the Yangtze River to Pudong, Maglev train from the new airport in Shanghai to Pudong, colorful dresses for women and men in lounge suits or in blouses and jeans. The people dress like any modern city in Japan, South Korea, or Singapore,” said Lee, one of the key witnesses to the great changes that have taken place in China.