The results of China’s reform and opening up are reflected in the following table, which shows just a few representative statistics. Output per person has increased 25 times, the percentage of people living below the poverty line has fallen from 96 percent to less than 1 percent, life expectancy has increased by an average of about 10 years, and the average number of years of education has increased by 80 percent. I could go on and on, rattling off equally impressive statistics in virtually every area.
