Inter Asian Exchanges and China's Economic Reform

The project seeks to examine how foreign economic ideas and practices, especially those from Japan and newly industrialised economies (NIEs) in Asia, shaped China’s economic reform and opening from the mid-1970s to the late 1990s. It focuses on China’s encounters and exchanges with the Asian developmental states through various channels, such as foreign advisors, international conferences, and study tours of Chinese personnel.

Through his project, Asst Prof Huang hopes to achieve the following objectives:

• Understand the Party-state as a complex “learning organisation” and the Chinese reform from the 1970s to the late 1990s in the context of transnational flows of ideas and practices.
• Examine the details of significant study tours and the roles of foreign advisors to map out the exchange process between China and Asian developmental states, such as Japan and Singapore.
• Examine the developmental state and economic planning in China and other parts of Asia against the backdrop of the world order from the Cold War to the post-Cold War era, including the roles of China, Japan, the NIEs, the United States, and international organisations.

Findings from the project can enhance our understanding of economic development in Asia and China’s transformation before its full global integration. The research will also shed light on Singapore’s important role as a model and knowledge hub in China’s economic development, contributing to our understanding of historical Sino-Singapore relations.