The achievements China has made during the past three decades indicate that it has chosen the right model of economic development, said Yakov Berger, a China expert with the Far East Institute of the Russian Academy of Sciences.

Although the People's Republic of China had received assistance from former Soviet Union in the early years since it was founded in 1949, it didn't copy the Soviet Union's experience, Berger told Xinhua in a recent interview.

China has spent a long time in exploiting an economic development model suitable to itself, he said, quoting the Chinese saying "wading across the stream by feeling the way."

Reform and opening up, a policy China has pursued since 1978, opened China's door to the outside world and facilitated the country's modernization, he added.

The Russian expert attributed the success of China's reform to the emancipation of the thoughts of the Chinese leadership and their observance of the principle of gradual reforms.

China's economic reform has been accompanied by political reform, which ensures a powerful and stable administration favorable for smooth economic reform, he said.

Berger spoke highly of former Chinese leader Deng Xiaoping's remarks made during his inspection tour to South China in 1992, saying his words had a far reaching impact on the Chinese economy, especially the non-public sectors.

"His sagacious remarks laid a foundation for the new guideline. As a result, China's economy entered a new round of rapid growth in the 1990s," he said.

Instead of pushing for privatization, China boosted the development of its state-owned and private enterprises at the same time, he said. "This is a wise choice indeed."

The non-public economy is playing an important role in China's economic development and, in particular, in creating more employment opportunities, Berger said.

The Chinese model of economic development has come into being, and the next step is to improve the model and set fresh goals, he added.

Berger said he believes that China would speed up the optimization of its domestic economic structure and move towards an innovative economy.

(Xinhua News Agency May 31, 2009)