64 K.S. Krishnaswamy direction axid quantitative maximisation. They were not accessible to us for one reason or another, and we had no idea of the underlying opposition to the new strategy .Thus what we heard and saw was obviously very selective, and it is no surprise that we had no better knowledge of the events that were so soon to follow than those who had .not travelled to China ! II The ten general principles of consolidating and improving the economy as summarised by Premier Zhao were : 1. Accelerate the development of agriculture by relying on correct policies and on science. 2. Give prominence to the development of consumer goods industries, and further adjust the service orientation of heavy industry. 3. Raise the energy utilisation ratio and promote the building of the energy industry and transport. 4. Carry out technical transformation step by step in key units and make the maximum use of existing enterprises. 5. Carry out the all-round consolidation and necessary restructuring of enterprises by groups. 6. Raise more construction funds and use them thriftily through improved methods of acquisition, accumulation and disbursal. 7. Persist in an open door policy and enhance our capacity for self-reliant action. 8. Actively and steadily reform our economic system and realise the initiative of all concerned to the full. 9. Raise the scientific and cultural level of all working people and organise strong forces to tackle key scientific research projects. 10. Proceed from the concept of 'everything for the people' and make overall arrangements for production, construction and the people's livelihood .6 This extraordinary set of sutras, combining as it does specifics with general exhortations of correct action, has naturally been interpreted differently by different groups and converted into priorities of various description . Some have focussed on the elements of change .while others have derived satisfaction from the undertone of continuity in the strategies of State initiative and accumulation. Apparently these variations are related to the extent of their disagreement with, or their suffering in the hands of, the 'Gang of Four'. However, such differences in interpretation are not open or sharp, and there is a uniformity of logic and expression among theorists, practitioners and the press in Beijing, Shanghai, Guwangzhou and Shenzhen, which is striking. These echo probably the authorised version of the dialectic — authorised, that is to say, by the new helmsman Deng Xiaoping or his proteges. Let me illustrate.A major element of the new economic programme is the readjustment of certain ratios of the national economy —the ratios of