After more than two decades of headlong rush to transform China from an autarkic centrally planned economy into a limited open-market economy， Hu is now leading a nation in the midst of fateful debates about the most effective and balanced route toward a modern harmonious socialist society. Autarky has never been voluntary Chinese policy under socialism but rather an externally imposed sanction of the Cold War.
Chinas shift toward market economy in the past two and a half decades was not taken in isolation from world trends. When Deng Xiaoping introduced the open/reform policies in 1979，
toward the end of the Cold War， it was a rational response to a world infatuated with the extravagant promises of neo-liberal free trade. A quarter of a century later，while such open/reform policies have achieved spectacular results in bringing China forward into a modern interdependent world， the glaring resultant imbalances，such as excessive dependence on exports， worsening income disparity，regional development gaps， rampant official corruption，serious environmental crisis and near-total collapse of the social-service network and safety net，are raising calls for rethinking the wisdom of falling for the empty promises of neo-liberal globalization.
There is no disagreement among the youth who are destined to shoulder the continuing task of national reconstruction toward economic prosperity and cultural renaissance on the need for further opening/reform. The dispute is on the correct definition and path of opening/reform： open to neo-colonialism and reform toward social inequality and moral decay，or open to assuming a legitimate place as a strong and peaceful nation in a world order of free sovereign nations of equality and reform toward creative and scientific socialist construction based on equality，justice and freedom for all.
经过二十多年的冲锋陷阵，中国从一个自给自足的中央计划经济为有限开放的市场经济，胡正领导一个国家的最有效和最平衡的走向现代社会主义和谐社会的重大辩论的中间路线。自给自足从来没有自愿中国社会主义条件下的政策，而是外部强加的制裁是冷战。
中国转向市场经济在过去两年半的几十年没有采取孤立于世界的趋势。当邓小平提出了改革开放政策1979，
对冷战的结束，这是一个世界迷恋新自由主义的自由贸易承诺的奢侈的理性反应。四分之一个世纪之后，当改革开放政策在中国带进一个相互依存的现代世界取得了令人瞩目的成果，炫目导致失衡，如对出口的过度依赖，日益加剧的收入差距，区域发展差距，官员腐败猖獗，严重的环境危机和社会服务网络和安全网总近乎崩溃，提高反思智慧下空头支票的新自由主义的全球化要求。
有谁注定要承担国家重建需要进一步开放/改革经济繁荣和文化复兴的持续工作的青年人没有异议。争议是正确的定义和开放/改革开放路径：新殖民主义和对社会不平等和道德沦丧改革开放，或者假设一个合法的地方作为一个平等的世界，向创新和科学社会主义建设改革的自由平等基础上的主权国家秩序的强大和爱好和平的国家，所有的正义和自由。