77

Industrial policy has been a major driver of the Chinese State’s renewal since the launch of the 1978 reforms. Whereas in the 1980s this policy was still subject to planning, the 1990s have been marked by changes in the way the State intervenes: it acts less directly and in a more targeted manner to support companies, improve the business environment and help the process of catching up with new technology. Despite achieving notable results, industrial policy comes up against problems such as the fragmentation of China’s political and economic system, major challenges such as the rapid degradation of the environment and the need for changes to the policy of growth.