In this thoroughly revised edition of Susumu Yabuki's 1995 book, Stephen Harner (translator of the 1995 book) joins Yabuki to paint a broad picture of China's evolving political economy. A rich array of information is presented in a clear and imaginative way, covering all the key facets of the transition from plan to market. This is a book no China watcher will want to be without.
As a leading Japanese sinologist, Yabuki provides an interesting perspective on the many changes that have taken place in China's economic, political and social landscape since the days of Mao Zedong. Likewise, Harner, a former diplomat and chief representative of Deutsche Bank AG in Shanghai, draws on a wealth of experience to provide informed analysis of China's financial markets and fiscal and monetary policy.
The book is divided into four parts, with 31 chapters. Yabuki is the sole author of Part 1, which deals with the makeup of the People's Republic of China, population trends, the history of Chinese socialism, the role of the Chinese Communist Party and the status of the economic reform movement. In Part 2, he covers a number of important domestic issues, including China's growth path, food production, energy and the environment, income distribution, consumer spending, industrial structure and state-owned enterprises, unemployment, township and village enterprises, and regional development.