All Eyes on China’s Reform Process

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In The Media

All Eyes on China’s Reform Process

The central issue to be addressed by the Third Plenum is the proper role of the state in China, including the organization of the state and the relations of the state to markets and to citizens.

By Evan A. Feigenbaum

Published on Nov 10, 2013

Source: CNBC

Carnegie’s Evan Feigenbaum appeared on CNBC to discuss what to look for from the Third Plenum of the 18th Chinese Communist Party Congress, which is expected to launch wide-ranging economic reforms. Feigenbaum pointed out that reform is best viewed as a process rather than an event, and that the most important thing to come out of the Plenum will be a sense of the broad direction in which reforms over the coming five years will move. He asserted that the highest priority for the Plenum should be to outline what the role of the state is going to be in the coming years, particularly in three areas: the state's relationship to markets, its relationship to its citizens, and the way in which it is organized. These three areas correspond to three high priority reforms: reducing energy and other factor price distortions, rural land reform to give peasants stronger property rights, and restructuring of the fiscal relationship between the central and local governments. Overall, Feigenbaum said that he sees reason for optimism about the coming reform announcement.

This interview was originally aired on CNBC.

About the Author

Evan A. Feigenbaum

Vice President for Studies

Evan A. Feigenbaum is vice president for studies at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, where he oversees work at its offices in Washington, New Delhi, and Singapore on a dynamic region encompassing both East Asia and South Asia. He served twice as Deputy Assistant Secretary of State and advised two Secretaries of State and a former Treasury Secretary on Asia.

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Carnegie does not take institutional positions on public policy issues; the views represented herein are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of Carnegie, its staff, or its trustees.

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