ABSTRACT
The structure of the Chinese economy is evolving so rapidly that it is vital to distinguish between, first, the point of departure, second, current practice and, third, the goal. The point of departure was the disorder left by the Kuomintang. Current practice has itself been undergoing profound changes and cannot therefore be accurately represented by an instantaneous flashlight photograph; its basic features are those of a “New Democratic” society in transition towards socialism. As for the goal, while the Chinese Communists look forward to ultimately traversing the same road as Russia they recognize that the achievement of this goal will be the consummation of a protracted process. Their leaders are not doctrinaire visionaries — witness Mao Tse-tung's often quoted “Dogma is less useful than horse dung.” They are highly sophisticated politicians with a background of thirty years of political and military experience probably unmatched in its richness and diversity. 1
