Thanks to Confucius, the greatest strength of Chinese civilization the moral unanimity that makes societal planning possible.
As JM Keynes observed, “Planning should take place in a community in which as many people as possible, both leaders and followers, wholly share your own moral position. Moderate planning will be safe if those carrying it out are rightly orientated in their minds and hearts to the moral issue.”
Confucius also proposed moderate goals for planners, the first of which being a moderately prosperous, harmonious xiaokang society.
Far from being authoritarian when he adopted xiaokang as the PRC’s first major goal– progress towards which would be measured at five year intervals–Mao was responding to a universal longing.
That universal longing which is now scheduled to be fulfilled in 2049.
The PRC has kept all 138 quinquennial promises it has made since Mao’s promise, largely because everyone's on board with them.
Chinese unanimity that has nothing to do with conformity and everything to do with morality even, gasp! democracy.