[Askel5]

=== but international standards under a vertical government

By "vertical" ... is that like "top-down"?

[Askel5]

For the time being, they were prepared to endure a certain non-confomity to western standards, which they chalked up to the sins of youth and specific to the character of the locale. China is the mecca for investment. Here the communist party zealously protects the economic rights of foreigners, even to the point of expelling from the party bureaucrats who fine foreign companies in order to pinch their capital.

This reminds me of listening to the Chinese woman EXPLODE at the window of the chequer at how Chinese Communists are with-it where capitalism's concerned but Russians yet cling to their commissar ways and have no clue how to run a business.

It was fascinating to hear. Particularly for the way it implied that sort of essential unity of a sort (from a 50-some year old plebe's mind, no less) that belies the whole Sino-Soviet split.

[SlowBoat407]

By "vertical" ... is that like "top-down"?

More likely a reference to "vertical integration", in which an entire production process is controlled by one entity. Classic example is the old Hollywood Studios, which owned production, distribution, movie houses, even the farms where the popcorn was grown. Advantage is, you can integrate your resources more thoroughly, drawback is, you open yourself up to charges of monopolistic practices, even though it's technically a different issue.