China’s 1992 Market Economy Shift | Generated by AI
This question tests knowledge of the goal of China’s economic system reform formally established at the 14th National Congress of the CPC (党的十四大) in 1992.
Question Analysis
Historical evolution of China’s economic system reform goals:
- Pre-reform era: Planned economy system
- Early 1980s: “Planned economy as primary, market regulation as supplementary” (计划经济为主、市场调节为辅)
- Mid-1980s: “Planned commodity economy” (有计划的商品经济)
- 1992 - 14th Party Congress: “Socialist market economy system” (社会主义市场经济体制) ✓
Why the answer is D (Socialist market economy system)
At the 14th National Congress in 1992:
- Jiang Zemin, based on Deng Xiaoping’s Southern Tour speeches, explicitly proposed using the term “socialist market economy system”
- The Congress formally established building a socialist market economy system as the goal of China’s economic reform
- This was a breakthrough that resolved the long-standing debate about whether a market economy was compatible with socialism
Key significance:
- Recognized that the market economy is not inherently capitalist
- Affirmed that market mechanisms can be combined with socialist public ownership
- Marked a historic turning point in China’s economic reform
Option Analysis
- A: Socialist planned economy system - Incorrect. This was the old system before reform
- B: Planned economy as primary, market regulation as supplementary - Incorrect. This was an early transitional concept in the 1980s (Your answer)
- C: Planned commodity economy - Incorrect. This was proposed at the 12th Party Congress (1984) but was still transitional
- D: Socialist market economy system - Correct answer (14th Party Congress, 1992)
Memory Aid
Key milestone: 1992 - 14th Party Congress = Socialist Market Economy
This represented China’s decisive shift from a planned economy to a market-oriented economic system while maintaining socialist principles.