Unlikely Partners : Chinese Reformers, Western Economists, and the Making of Global China

__Unlikely Partners__ recounts the story of how Chinese politicians and intellectuals looked beyond their country’s borders for economic guidance at a key crossroads in the nation’s tumultuous twentieth century. Julian Gewirtz offers a dramatic tale of competition for influence between reformers and hardline conservatives during the Deng Xiaoping era, bringing to light China’s productive exchanges with the West. When Mao Zedong died in 1976, his successors seized the opportunity to reassess the wisdom of China’s rigid commitment to Marxist doctrine. With Deng Xiaoping’s blessing, China’s economic gurus scoured the globe for fresh ideas that would put China on the path to domestic prosperity and ultimately global economic power. Leading foreign economists accepted invitations to visit China to share their expertise, while Chinese delegations traveled to the United States, Hungary, Great Britain, West Germany, Brazil, and other countries to examine new ideas. Chinese economists partnered with an array of brilliant thinkers, including Nobel Prize winners, World Bank officials, battle-scarred veterans of Eastern Europe’s economic struggles, and blunt-speaking free-market fundamentalists. Nevertheless, the push from China’s senior leadership to implement economic reforms did not go unchallenged, nor has the Chinese government been eager to publicize its engagement with Western-style innovations. Even today, Chinese Communists decry dangerous Western influences and officially maintain that China’s economic reinvention was the Party’s achievement alone. __Unlikely Partners__ sets forth the truer story, which has continuing relevance for China’s complex and far-reaching relationship with the West. How Did China Emerge From Isolation And Poverty Under Mao Zedong To Become The Economic Powerhouse Shaping The 21st Century? Soon After Mao Died In 1976, China's Leaders Invited Many Of The Leading Foreign Economists To Come To China And Sought Their Input On Economic Policy. This Book Demonstrates The Constantly Negotiated Receptivity Of Chinese Policymakers Who Reached Out To Foreign Economists And Interpreted Their Ideas As They Sought To Incorporate Market Elements Into Their Country's Socialist Economy. Working Together, Interacting In Complex Dynamics Of Influence And Adaptation, They Changed China.-- Introduction: River Crossings -- The Great Helmsman Departs -- Pushing Off From Shore -- A Swifter Vessel -- Navigating The Crosscurrents -- Through Treacherous Waters -- Days On The River -- In The Wake -- A Tempestuous Season -- The Narrows Of The River -- At The Delta -- Conclusion: Arrivals And Departures. Julian Gewirtz. Includes Bibliographical References And Index. How did China emerge from isolation and poverty under Mao Zedong to become the economic powerhouse shaping the 21st century? Soon after Mao died in 1976, China's leaders invited many of the leading foreign economists to come to China and sought their input on economic policy. This book demonstrates the constantly negotiated receptivity of Chinese policymakers who reached out to foreign economists and interpreted their ideas as they sought to incorporate market elements into their country's socialist economy. Working together, interacting in complex dynamics of influence and adaptation, they changed China.-- Provided by publisher Cover Title Copyright Contents Abbreviations Introduction: River Crossings Chapter 1. The Great Helmsman Departs Chapter 2. Pushing Off from the Shore Chapter 3. A Swifter Vessel Chapter 4. Navigating the Crosscurrents Chapter 5. Through Treacherous Waters Chapter 6. Days on the River Chapter 7. In the Wake Chapter 8. A Tempestuous Season Chapter 9. The Narrows of the River Chapter 10. At the Delta Conclusion: Arrivals and Departures Abbreviations in the Notes Notes Key Chinese Figures Acknowledgments Index