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Communism and Reform in East Asia Downloaded by [University of Defence] at 21:30 19 May 2016 ROUTLEDGE LIBRARY EDITIONS: MODERN EAST AND SOUTH EAST ASIA Volume 3 COMMUNISM AND REFORM IN EAST ASIA Downloaded by [University of Defence] at 21:30 19 May 2016 This page intentionally left blank Downloaded by [University of Defence] at 21:30 19 May 2016 COMMUNISM AND REFORM IN EAST ASIA Edited by DAVID S. G. GOODMAN Downloaded by [University of Defence] at 21:30 19 May 2016 First published in 1988 by Frank Cass and Company Limited This edition first published in 2015 by Routledge 2 Park Square, Milton Park, Abingdon, Oxon, OX14 4RN and by Routledge 711 Third Avenue, New York, NY 10017 Routledge is an imprint of the Taylor & Francis Group, an informa business © 1988 Frank Cass & Co. Ltd. All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reprinted or reproduced or utilised in any form or by any electronic, mechanical, or other means, now known or hereafter invented, including photocopying and recording, or in any information storage or retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publishers. Trademark notice: Product or corporate names may be trademarks or registered trademarks, and are used only for identification and explanation without intent to infringe. British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library ISBN: 978-1-138-89258-3 (Set) eISBN: 978-1-315-69792-5 (Set) ISBN: 978-1-138-90132-2 (Volume 3) eISBN: 978-1-315-69783-3 (Volume 3) Publisher’s Note The publisher has gone to great lengths to ensure the quality of this reprint but points out that some imperfections in the original copies may be apparent. Disclaimer The publisher has made every effort to trace copyright holders and would welcome correspondence from those they have been unable to trace. Downloaded by [University of Defence] at 21:30 19 May 2016 COMMUNISM AND REFORM IN EAST ASIA Edited by DAVID S.G. GOODMAN Downloaded by [University of Defence] at 21:30 19 May 2016 FRANK CASS First published 1988 in Great Britain by FRANK CASS AND COMPANY LIMITED Gainsborough House, 11 Gainsborough Road, London E ll IRS, England and in the United States of America by FRANK CASS AND COMPANY LIMITED c/o Biblio Distribution Centre 81 Adams Drive, P.O. Box 327, Totowa, NJ 07511 Copyright €> 1988 Frank Cass & Co. Ltd. British Library Cataloguing-in-Publication data Communism and reform in East Asia. 1. East & South-east Asia. Communist countries. Social reform I. Goodman, David S.G., 1948- II. The Journal of communist studies 303.4*84 ISBN 0-7146-3340-2 Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Communism and reform in East Asia. This group of studies first appeared in a special issue of the Journal of communist studies, vol. 3. Contents: Communism in East Asia / David S.G. Goodman — The reform process in the People’s Republic of China / Tony Saich — Reform, local political institutions and the village economy in China / Elisabeth J. Croll — [etc.] 1. Communism—East Asia. 2. East Asia—Politics and government 3. East Asia—Social conditions. I. Good­ man, David S. G. HX410.5A6C65 1988 335.43*095 88-5032 ISBN 0-7146-3340-2 This group of studies first appeared in a Special Issue on Communism and Reform in East Asia of The Journal of Communist Studies Vol. 3, No. 4 published by Frank Cass & Downloaded by [University of Defence] at 21:30 19 May 2016 Co. Ltd. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form, or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, with­ out the prior permission of Frank Cass and Company Limited. Printed and bound by Adlard and Son Limited, Dorking, Surrey, and Letch worth, Hertfordshire Contents Editorial Preface vii Abbreviations viii Communism in East Asia: The Production Imperative, Legitimacy and Reform David S.G. Goodman 1 The Reform Process in the People’s Republic of China Tony Saich 9 Reform, Local Political Institutions and the Village Economy in China Elisabeth J. Croll 28 China: The New Inheritance Law and the Peasant Household Delia Davin 52 North Korea: The End of the Beginning Aidan Foster-Carter 64 Ideology and the Legitimation Crisis in North Korea James Cotton 86 Vietnam: The Slow Road to Reform Michael Williams 102 The Mongolian People’s Republic in the 1980s: Continuity and Change Judith Nordby 113 The Soviet Union and the Pacific Century Gerald Segal 132 China and the Asia-Pacific Region Michael B. Yahuda 148 Downloaded by [University of Defence] at 21:30 19 May 2016 This page intentionally left blank Downloaded by [University of Defence] at 21:30 19 May 2016 Editorial Preface In May 1987 the Journal of Communist Studies held its annual conference at the East Asia Centre, University of Newcastle upon Tyne. Appro­ priately the theme for the papers presented at that conference was ‘Communism in East Asia’, and this volume has resulted from that conference. Despite the fact that six of the world’s communist party states are concentrated in East Asia - China, North Korea, Mongolia, Vietnam, Kampuchea, and Laos - and that a seventh (the Soviet Union) is at least in some respects an East Asian power, those with an interest in communist studies still tend to regard it as a region on the periphery. One reason for that perspective may be the relative lack of literature on the subject. This volume cannot solve that problem but it can at least hope to take a step in the right direction. Many people were involved in the organization of the conference that led to this volume, as well as in the production of the book itself. The invaluable assistance of the staff of the East Asia Centre with the former, and of Professor Ronald Hill with the latter ought particularly to be acknowledged. In addition the East Asia Centre and the editorial board of The Journal of Communist Studies would like to thank The Nuffield Foundation for its generous support. D avid S.G. Goodman East Asia Centre, University of Newcastle upon Tyne Downloaded by [University of Defence] at 21:30 19 May 2016 Abbreviations ASEAN Association of South East Asian Nations CCP Communist Party of China CGDK Coalition Government of Democratic Kampuchea CMEA Committee for Mutual Economic Assistance [Comintern] CPSU Communist Party of the Soviet Union GATT General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade MPR Mongolian People’s Republic MPRP Mongolian People’s Revolutionary Party NIC Newly Industrialized Country PECC Pacific Economic Cooperation Conference PRC People’s Republic of China PRK People’s Republic of Kampuchea Downloaded by [University of Defence] at 21:30 19 May 2016 Communism in East Asia: The Production Imperative, Legitimacy and Reform David S.G. Goodman Western perceptions of communism in East Asia have changed dramatically during the last decade. Where once it was seen as a threat now the emphasis is on communism in reform. Moreover, because these communist party states are located at what is widely regarded as the centre of the ‘Pacific Century’, they have become economically as well as politically attractive within a relatively short period of time. The lure of China alone as an open market is a very seductive prospect for Western economies and businessmen. Equally, for the global strategists in the West, the possibility of isolating China and most of East Asia from Soviet influence appears attractive. The perceived Soviet need for a counter­ balance is undoubtedly one reason Gorbachev has sought to emphasize the USSR’s role in East Asia since his speech at Vladivostok in July 1986.1 There certainly does appear to be a reform process under way in the communist party states of East Asia. It can be said to have started in the People’s Republic of China (PRC) at the third plenum of the eleventh Central Committee of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) in December 1978. The CCP had tried for two years after the death of Mao Zedong to maintain the policies and structures of earlier years - a kind of ‘Maoism without Mao’. However, by mid-1978 it became clear that a more radical break with the past was necessary if economic modernization - one of the CCP’s orginal long-term goals in 1949 - were to be attained. Incremental­ ly, new policies have been introduced which, for example, have decentralized the administration of the economy, reformed the price structure in favour of the market, de-collectivized agriculture, ended the Downloaded by [University of Defence] at 21:30 19 May 2016 state administration’s monopoly in the economy, and severely restricted its role in new developments. In short, there has been a radical reform of the command economy. At the same time there have been political reforms explicitly intended to support the drive to modernization, the most important of which have been the establishment of a functioning legal system, the overhaul of local government, and the acceptance of a greater degree of pluralism within the political process. An essential part of the reform process has been a change in China’s attitude to the outside world. Whereas once Mao proclaimed ‘self-reliance’, now China turned to the industrialized world for new technology and expertise. In return, Western investment and 2 COMMUNISM AND REFORM IN EAST ASIA involvement in the Chinese economy have been encouraged. Moreover, China’s foreign policy has been adapted to support the reform era. The goals are now the creation of a peaceful and stable international environ­ ment, and China’s integration into the international economic and political order, particularly in the Asia-Pacific region.2 Although reform has advanced furthest in the PRC, during the 1980s the other communist party states of East Asia have (to varying degrees) also begun to experiment.
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