13012. FOREIGN DIRECT INVESTMENT IN CHINA: THE REAL GROWTH ENGINE. This paper argues that the real economic significance of China's open-door policy has less to do with the expansion of foreign trade and market liberalization than it does with the unprecedented encouragement it has given to inflows of overseas capital - above all foreign direct investment (FDI). Following a brief overview of China's open-door policy and an outline of investment incentives, the analysis traces the growth and composition of foreign investment in China since the opening. The bulk of the analysis then examines the role of FDI in China's "economic miracle" and then draws on recent evidence to evaluate the merits of Kleinberg's (1990) arguments that the notion of China moving towards a liberal economic regime is a misconception. 27 pages, 69 footnotes, 27 bibliographic sources.