Socialism and Opening Up to the Outside World

Is opening our doors to the outside world merely an expedient measure or is it a basic policy to be maintained over the long-term future? This question has been raised by people both at home and abroad. Most recently, Comrade Deng Xiaoping responded to this question with a most clear-cut and unequivocal answer. He said: "Opening our doors to the world outside is a fundamental policy of our country. If there is to be change, it will be in the direction of even greater openness; anything else and our people themselves would not approve." He also said: "This policy of China's will not be changed in this century; it is also hard to imagine its changing in the second half of the next century. By that time the relations between China and other countries in economic and commercial terms will have become developed, and much more intimate, and it would be impossible to change the policy even if one would want to do so."