Originally Posted by $5 submissions

It seems the world media (specially the Western media) is jerking itself off to sleep thinking that the reason for China's recent global economic success is MARKET CAPITALISM. However, if you dig deeper... maybe the real reason why market economics works now is that China COLLECTIVIZED all private property prior to 1979. This broke the back of feudal overlords who sucked off almost all wealth and crippled market competition.

When China decided to let markets operate, prodded by state owned enterprises, the absence of a feudal chokehold meant that the benefits of competition flowed to small businessmen and millions of businesses (and jobs!) appeared.

Add to this the strict discipline of communist infrastructure--when shit needs to get transported from A to B, shit gets sent QUICK. This benefited manufacturing and distribution once China switched to a market economy.

Bottomline: Can it be said that the REAL REASON China became successful as a capitalist country was because of its uniquely Chinese COMMUNIST predecessor system?

Taiwan also became rich and it went through a LAND REFORM period

Of course, this is a uniquely Chinese thing. Land reform was tried in Mexico and is still the law in the Philippines. These two countries are hardly on par with China's economic growth.

What gives? Is it the legal /political / economic paths or is it the culture? Or is it both?