Whither the China Model: revisiting the debate

The China model debate has come in three waves since the early 2000s and focused on the role of the state as an organizing force to lead China’s modernization. Revisiting the debate, this article argues that while the alluring story of China’s high growth blinded its dark side for a long time, the economic downturn after 2015 is nothing more than an expedient time for Chinese leaders not only to transform China’s growth model from export and investment-driven to qualitative internal development, but also to build institutional checks on the state authority and to hold the state accountable. If China is able to complete the transition on both fronts, the China model will stand, but a sustained downturn or a lost decade or two could declare the end of the China model.