Economic Planning in China

This paper provides an up-to-date study of economic planning in China as it affects the economic development, growth and fluctuations of the Chinese economy. Although economic planning has been practiced in China since 1953 when the first Five-Year Plan began, its nature has changed after economic reform started in 1978. Market reform reduced the importance of central planning, but more recently the global economic recession and China’s active macro-economic policy interventions have increased the importance of economic planning. Our discussion is divided into the following sections: 1. Role of planning in the Chinese economy. 2. Scope of planning. 3. Numerical targets of the Plan and the degree to which the targets are met. 4. Organization of the NCDR. 5. How a plan is implemented. 6. Effects of planning on China’s economic development.