Economists: More than semantics, roadmap promises real change

The reform roadmap released by the Third Plenum of the 18th Communist Party of China Central Committee reaffirmed the decisive role of the market in the economy and promised major reforms in a number of key sectors, China's top economists said at the Caijing Annual Conference 2014.

Wu Jinglian, senior research associate with the Development Research Center of the State Council, said at the conference that two highlights of the reform roadmap are supporting the "decisive" role of the market in the national economy and a commitment to building a market that is unified, open, competitive and stable.

The economists said what appears to be only a slight rhetorical change actually has far-reaching implications.