Starting with the establishment of a few special economic zones (SEZs) along the southern and eastern coasts of China which allowed the market to replace the commune system while retaining management and overall direction of economic activity, the CPC unleashed the entrepreneurial spirit of the Chinese people, beginning a process of rapid economic growth which more than 30 years later maintains an impressive depth and momentum.
While no 'China development model' has been formally articulated and promoted by China's leadership, the Chinese experience following Deng Xiaoping's opening to the world offers a broad outline for economic success in a rapidly globalizing international environment.
Robust economic policy debates within the CPC, resulted in a compromise approach, based on a step-by-step and tentative process, described by Deng as 'feeling the stones under the water while crossing a river.' The rigid ideological framework of socialist-communist economic planning was replaced by a pragmatic approach requiring experimentation, adjustment and creative thinking. The guiding philosophy adopted by the CPC under Deng's leadership has been to 'seek truth from facts' and to adapt economic policy in response to concrete conditions and clear opportunity.
The specific ingredients of the Chinese economic miracle have included a focus on export-led growth based on competitive wages underpinned by huge investments in education. Appropriate policies have provided a positive environment for inward foreign direct investment (FDI) which in turn resulted in skills and technology transfers along with job creation. Social disorder, industrial action and crime have been strictly regulated to prevent production disruptions and the pursuit of economic growth.
The legacy of the Communist Party of China thus includes an economic success story which has been consistent in creating jobs for an urbanising population and uplifting millions of rural poor out of poverty and hopelessness. Prospects for the future offer the Chinese people many positive opportunities as wealth creation accelerates and the quality of life improves. A new and massive economic infrastructure, along with a global lead in manufacturing confirms that China is well positioned for continued economic growth and long-term prosperity.
Given South Africa's own urgent economic challenges, manifest primarily in the form of widespread poverty and unemployment, the CPC's creative and innovative approach to addressing similar challenges offers some guidance and inspiration. South Africa should take cognisance of the CPC's successes in improving the lives of its people and providing the foundation for long-term prosperity.
Professor Garth Shelton, International Relations, Wits University