The economist Arthur Kroeber describes China as «an economy where the state remains firmly in command, not least through its control of ‘commanding heights’ state entreprises, but were market tools are used to improve efficiency».

Economically, China's integration in the global value chains has allowed it to be a part of "the unprecidented global technological revolution, offering a short cut for the country to accelerate its industrial transformation and upgrade its economical structure."
The opportunity to rapidly learn from the advanced capitalist countries' developments in science and technology was the principal reason for opening up.

Fra Introduction side xiv

Whereas Sovjet infrastucture was starting to crumle by the 1980s, modern Chinese infrastucture is world class. Indeed, the quality of roads, trains, airports, ports and buildings in major Chinese cities is noticeably higher than in global cities like New York and London.