▁it ▁was ▁now ▁being ▁admitted ▁that ▁Taiwan ' s ▁per - cap ita ▁G DP ▁was ▁three ▁times ▁that ▁of ▁the ▁main land . ▁ ▁This ▁is ▁in ▁sharp ▁contrast ▁to ▁the ▁economic ▁rest ruct uring , ▁or ▁per estro ika , ▁undert aken ▁by ▁Soviet ▁general ▁secretary ▁Mik h ail ▁G orb ache v , ▁in ▁which ▁G orb ache v ▁himself ▁origin ated ▁most ▁of ▁the ▁major ▁re forms . ▁Many ▁econom ists ▁have ▁argued ▁that ▁the ▁bottom - up ▁approach ▁of ▁D eng ' s ▁re forms , ▁in ▁contrast ▁to ▁the ▁top - down ▁approach ▁of ▁Per estro ika , ▁was ▁a ▁key ▁factor ▁in ▁his ▁success . ▁In ▁a ▁ 1 9 8 5 ▁interview ▁with ▁Frank ▁Gib ney ▁of ▁Encyclop ædia ▁Britannica , ▁D eng ▁remarked ▁that ▁the ▁Soviet ▁system ▁suffered ▁from ▁an ▁inf lex ibility ▁and ▁rig id ness ▁that ▁did ▁not ▁affect ▁China . ▁ ▁Con tr ary ▁to ▁popular ▁mis con ception s , ▁D eng ' s ▁re forms ▁included ▁introduction ▁of ▁planned , ▁central ized ▁management ▁of ▁the ▁macro - e conom y ▁by ▁techn ically ▁prof ic ient ▁b ureau cr ats , ▁abandon ing ▁Ma o ' s ▁mass ▁campaign ▁style ▁of ▁economic ▁construction . ▁However , ▁unlike ▁the ▁Soviet ▁model ▁or ▁China ▁under ▁Ma o , ▁this ▁management ▁was ▁indirect , ▁through ▁market ▁mechan isms , ▁and ▁much ▁of ▁it ▁was ▁mode led ▁after ▁economic ▁planning ▁and ▁control ▁mechan isms ▁in ▁Western ▁nations . ▁ ▁This ▁tr end ▁did