Poetic and Politic are two words seldom embodied in a single person. Nonetheless, there are a few in this world who manage to encompass both - and do so pretty well at that.

One of these select few goes by the name of Dominique de Villepin, former French prime minister, who has long been noted for his grandiose, yet eloquent rhetoric.

Villepin, who met the Chinese press corps on Monday as the Global Chairman of the Asia-Pacific CEO Association arrived in China ahead of the World Emerging Industries Summit this week, said he saw no contradiction between poetic romanticism and political realism.