This pioneering study examines the "opening up" of the People's Republic of China to foreign trade and investment, starting from its bold inception in 1979. Drawing on an unusually wide range of Chinese source materials, Kleinberg provides a cogent explanation of the economic nationalist strategy and goals that have shaped the growth of China's foreign economic relations.

Referring to detailed case studies, the author identifies successes as well as unanticipated problems that have arisen as China has obtained capital and technology from its Western business partners.

This is a provocative analysis of economic reforms in a socialist state that has turned away from precepts of Marxist ideology toward a more pragmatic but still state-dominated development strategy. Gracefully written, this book will provide important insights for scholars, policy makers, and general readers seeking understanding of the path of China's development.

Reviews

"Kleinberg gives a detailed account of what the Chinese have done to introduce some capitalist activities into the country without abandoning socialism, and he makes a case for expecting this practice to continue without leading to the creation of a liberal system."

William Diebold Jr, Foreign Affairs

"Robert Kleinberg's China's "Opening" to the Outside World is a splendid and sobering piece of scholarship, combining theory and generalizations with rigorous empirical analyses of foreign trade, foreign investment, and the Special Economic Zones. Kleinberg challenges the widespread (and wishful) conventional wisdom prevalent in the West, particularly in the United States, that post-Mao China's opening up to the capitalist world in inexorably moving the country toward economic and political liberalization. In theory and practice, he argues, the post-Mao leadership has followed neither a classical Marxist, nor a neo-Marxist dependencia, nor a global interdependence model but a neomercantilist, state-centred, and state-empowering model in its foreign economic relations. He argues further that this basic bottom line is most likely to remain unchanged in the years to come. Whether or not one agrees with this, his tightly reasoned and well-documented thesis deserves to be taken very seriously. The book is also highly recommended as an irresistable text for courses in Chinese foreign policy and international relations, as it confidently bridges the gap between the two fields. This is scholarship of a high order and a major challenge to all serious students in search of China's place in the changing global political economy."

Samuel Kim, Princeton University

Book Information
ISBN 9780367164461
Author Robert Kleinberg
Format Paperback
Page Count 278
Imprint Routledge
Publisher Taylor & Francis Ltd
Weight(grams) 540g