| Abstract | 1996's fruitful summer harvest may do Beijing leaders a great favour. For the time being at least, they are no longer plagued - as they have been for many years - by simultaneous crises: a shrinking agricultural sector and its virtually non-performing state-run counterpart. It results in a rare chance for them to concentrate on the badly needed industrial reforms. In fact, the slow progress of industrial reform generally has long been an important factor in this sector; witness the erratic supply of vital, efficient machinery to farmers. |
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