by HAO PING
China’s tech drive has avoided the pitfalls and failures of both Soviet-style economic planning and US laissez faire capitalism
This article is the second part of a commentary published by Guancha.cn. Hao Ping, which means “good commentary”, is the Guancha column’s title. Asia Times editorial elucidation notes are in brackets. It is republished with permission.
In early 2025, China saw a wave of technological innovation achievements—from movies and video games to artificial intelligence and futuristic fighter jets—making many realize that a long-term transformation was already underway.
This sudden change results from China’s strategic resolve, market dynamism and societal collaboration. Although this transformation has been ongoing, it is finally visible to the world. Its ultimate result may exceed what people can imagine. It will continue to evolve and become a new paradigm of industrial civilization.
Liang Wenfeng, founder of DeepSeek, once offered a compelling summary of this rapid transformation.
“I grew up in the 1980s in a remote town in Guangdong. My father was a primary school teacher. In the 1990s, people had many opportunities to make money in Guangdong. Many parents came to our house and said that education was pointless. But now, those attitudes have completely changed. Because making money has become harder—even jobs like taxi drivers are scarce. In just one generation, everything has changed.
“Going forward, hardcore innovation will become increasingly important. This might not be widely understood right now because society wants tangible results. When those who achieve hardcore innovation become successful and recognized, society’s collective attitudes will change. We need more successful cases and some more time.”
In the summer of 1959, the American National Exhibition in Moscow’s Sokolniki Park welcomed two special visitors: Soviet Premier Nikita Khrushchev and US Vice President Richard Nixon.
In front of a model home filled with modern appliances and furniture, the two engaged in the historic “Kitchen Debate.”
Nixon argued that most American blue-collar workers could easily afford such a home and its appliances, with homes typically replaced every 20 years as consumers upgraded to better ones. “The American system is designed to take advantage of new inventions and new techniques,” he said.
However, Khrushchev sidestepped Nixon’s point and focused his critique on distribution issues [economic benefits]. [Several] decades later, the outcome of the Cold War [the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991] offered a phased resolution to this debate.
Asia Times for more