ABSTRACT
For almost three decades of reforms the Communist Party-led government of China has presided over extraordinary economic growth and has directed the shift from a planned to a ‘socialist market economy’. This transformation also entailed profound changes in the functions performed by the state and in its relationship vis-à-vis the economy. A number of competing conceptions of the Chinese state’s character and functions are currently discussed in the pertinent literature. The following chapter will discuss their relevance regarding one sector in the economy which has until now remained relatively underresearched, namely the cotton processing industry. It will also explicitly take into account the different levels of the state engaged in economic policymaking and implementation.
