Through experimentation, adaptation, and evolution – a process that has been described as “crossing the river by feeling the stones” – China has been able to evolve a higher-order, or fifth, supply chain in political decision-making. This “top-level governance architecture,” as it is known in China, has been essential for coordinating and orchestrating the different supply chains and the overall web of contracts to achieve the delicate balance among individual, family, corporate, social, and national objectives.
运用邓小平所描述的“摸着石头过河”的思路，通过试验、适应与演进，中国正在成功摸索一个更高层次的供应链——政治决策供应链 。在中国，这第五个供应链的构建被称为“顶层设计”，其作用是协调及安排其他不同的供应链及整个合约网络的运行，以便达到个人、家庭、企业、社会与国家目标之间的微妙平衡。