Author:
Gleb A. Maslov
Lomonosov Moscow State University (Moscow, Russia)
Abstract:
The paper examines the socio-economic modernization of China in the late 20th and early 21st centuries, which is inextricably linked to the reforms initiated in 1978. The period under consideration spans three stages and concludes in the late 2000s, when the country largely succeeded in achieving the comprehensive industrialization goals set by the Communist Party, establishing the foundations of a “socialist market economy”, strengthening its position in the global market, and transitioning into the category of middle-income countries. The reforms are characterized by gradualism and consistency, openness to studying international experience, a rejection of theoretical dogmatism, and a practice-oriented research approach, which together fostered record rates of economic growth, albeit accompanied by several social issues (such as rising inequality, increasing environmental pressure, etc.). The principal economic and political mechanisms of the modernization project include the balanced application of state planning instruments, selective regulation, and the construction of an institutional environment where informal institutions play a special role (notably reliance on the moral and ethical principles of Confucianism). It is demonstrated that, despite its historical specificity, this experience remains highly relevant today for addressing the challenges of catch-up development. The ideological and theoretical foundation of the reforms intersects with contemporary concepts developed in Russia, in particular with the tenets of noonomy theory. This convergence relates primarily to the principles of socializing public relations, the diffusion of property ownership, and a shift away from the Western-centric model of individualism.
Keywords: socialism with Chinese characteristics, socialist market economy, state planning, selective regulation, industrialization, moderately prosperous society, Confucianism, noonomy.
For citation: Maslov G. A. (2026). The Origins of Nootransition: The Experience of Socio-Economic Modernization in China in the Late 20th – Early 21st Centuries. Noonomy and Noosociety. Almanac of Scientific Works of the S. Y. Witte INID, Vol. 5, No. 3, pp. 63–76. DOI: 10.37930/2782-6465-2026-5-3-63-76