When I started to advise American companies on doing business in China in 1978, China was just beginning to emerge from the uniform drabness I had previously observed. Thanks to China's nearly double digit economic growth since it instituted reform in 1979, all of those things have become common place. Today those same friendship stores are fighting to survive against the proliferation of fancy department stores that are joint ventures with outside partners. Local citizens are no longer barred from friendship stores but prefer to frequent the high fashion stores operated by owners from Hong Kong or Japan. The one constant about China over the last twenty years is change.
Nothing stays the same and economic reform has been the driving force.
While the economic change is easiest to spot, the change has been accompanied by widespread social and political changes. In April 1995 for the first time, an unprecedented one-third of the delegates rejected Jiang Chunyun for vice premier notwithstanding that he was Chairman Jiang Zemin's nomination. The willing disclosure of this embarrassing shortfall from lockstep unanimity for the second most powerful position in China's hierarchy is in itself a noteworthy step toward increasing transparency. In early 1997, NPC drafted and passed amendments to the criminal procedure code greatly liberalizing the provisions handling criminals. These procedures were passed despite opposition and displeasure from the Ministry of Public Security.