Abstract
Comparing Deng Xiaoping's reform line and Xi Jinping's reform line, this article finds that Xi has always hoped to inherit Deng Xiaoping's position as the chief architect of reform and opening up. However, the incremental reforms achieved by Deng's gradual increase in private ownership and the introduction of the market have been reversed in Xi's hands, turning into a “state-in-private-recession” that emphasizes the role of state-owned enterprises in the market, and instead increasing the share of public ownership in the market. Deng and Xi both relied on the opening of the domestic market and the introduction of foreign capital and technology to promote China's economic and technological modernization, but Xi caused the Trump administration to launch a trade war as a countermeasure. What Deng and Xi have in common is that they both insisted on the leadership of the Communist Party of China (CPC) in the whole reform process. The Xi era has strengthened control in the name of national security, which has aroused the suspicion of foreign investors. In conclusion, the disappointment of the outside world that the Third Plenary Session of the 20th Central Committee did not come up with effective measures to stimulate China's economy stems from the inability to recognize the fact that Xi, under the pretext of national security, keeps backtracking. The author believes that the ultimate goal of his reforms is not improvement of China's overall economic environment, but rather in strengthening the CCP's ability to control the country's all-embracing domains, and that, although it is still necessary to strengthen the growth of the economy and science and technology, they must be transformed into national power and specialized for the benefit of the country. Although there is still a need to enhance economic and technological growth, these must be transformed into national power and utilized exclusively by the CCP in order to ensure the security of the Party and its rule.
Key Words: Xi Jinping, Deng Xiaoping, Reform and Opening, National Security