To be sure, Deng recognized some of the pathologies of the party-state. With leadership positions allocated – often for life – on the basis of personal connections, rather than merit, he understood that the system suffered from gross inefficiency, risk aversion, and a lack of technical expertise.
平心而论，邓小平本人亦意识到了党国体制（party-state）的一些弊端。他明白，领导岗位通常根据个人关系而非能力分配，并且是终身制，整套体制因为效率低下、不愿冒险、缺乏专业能力而举步维艰。