While Deng reforms clearly did introduce a lot of problems associated with capitalist exploitation, it’s important to note positive effects as well. These reforms allowed China to be integrated into capitalist world economically precluding open conflict. USSR was forced to spend around half its GDP on the military, while China was able to devote resources and labor towards productive causes. All of that directly led to things like BRI where China could start exporting its know how to other developing countries. Integration with the west also allowed for mass technology transfer and bootstrapped high tech economy in China. Friendly relations with the west also meant that Chinese students could be educated in top western universities. All of these factors allowed China to become the superpower that it is today.
I grew up in USSR, and one of the biggest challenges was that many intellectuals felt restricted within the system. This bred resentment towards the system as a whole and it meant that you couldn’t let people leave because many of your best and brightest would end up moving to the west. I think China is in a far better position today precisely because it’s possible to have the same quality of life as in the west.
Capitalist excess is now being actively curbed under Xi, but it’s unarguable that capitalism allowed productive forces to be developed very rapidly. Now China is able to build socialism from a place of relative prosperity. So, it seems to me that the reforms had a net positive effect in the long term.
Had there been no Sino-Soviet split, then perhaps USSR and China could’ve created their own economy that could’ve matched the west. However, after the split happened, both were in a much weaker position and were not able to develop to their full potential.
While Deng reforms clearly did introduce a lot of problems associated with capitalist exploitation, it’s important to note positive effects as well. These reforms allowed China to be integrated into capitalist world economically precluding open conflict. USSR was forced to spend around half its GDP on the military, while China was able to devote resources and labor towards productive causes. All of that directly led to things like BRI where China could start exporting its know how to other developing countries. Integration with the west also allowed for mass technology transfer and bootstrapped high tech economy in China. Friendly relations with the west also meant that Chinese students could be educated in top western universities. All of these factors allowed China to become the superpower that it is today.
I grew up in USSR, and one of the biggest challenges was that many intellectuals felt restricted within the system. This bred resentment towards the system as a whole and it meant that you couldn’t let people leave because many of your best and brightest would end up moving to the west. I think China is in a far better position today precisely because it’s possible to have the same quality of life as in the west.
Capitalist excess is now being actively curbed under Xi, but it’s unarguable that capitalism allowed productive forces to be developed very rapidly. Now China is able to build socialism from a place of relative prosperity. So, it seems to me that the reforms had a net positive effect in the long term.
Had there been no Sino-Soviet split, then perhaps USSR and China could’ve created their own economy that could’ve matched the west. However, after the split happened, both were in a much weaker position and were not able to develop to their full potential.