中共於一九九七年九月十二日召開「十五大」'其經濟政策取向包括:(一)持續推動市場化改革;(二)擴大對外開放政策;(三)強調經濟穩定與持續發展;(四)股份制成為國企改革突破口;(五)促成所有制結構多元化。其所反映的政治意涵是:(一)鄧後改革開放政策獲致持續推展;(二)深化改革進一步擺脫意識型態的局限;(三)領導階層經改路線分歧縮小;(四)化解國企危機的必要性與緊迫感;(五)政經改革不平衡性與制約性。

中共「十五大」提出之擴大股份化改造與所有制概念的再詮釋，可視為較具新意之經濟改革動向。儘管如此，如果在未來政經發展設想與運作中，法治尊嚴未能建立、私有產權無法充分保障、要素市場不完善、社會保障制度不健全、制度運作不規範，以及權力制衡機制不彰，則大陸跨世紀經濟發展前景仍沒有過於樂觀的預期。

The Fifteenth Party Congressof the Chinese communist Party was held on September 12， 1997. Itseconomic policy orientations included: continuing to push for further market-oriented reform; expanding its open door policy; keeping the economy stable and prosperous; establishing a share-holding systern which will be a breakthrough method for state-owned enterprise reform; and diversifying the structure of ownership. The political implications of these policies include: economic reform and the open door policy continuing to be implemented in the post-Deng era; ideology having fewer limits for further market-oriented reform; the gap of policy preferences decreasing within Chinese leadership; the urgent necessity to solve the crisis of state-owned enterprise; and unbalanced economic and political reform.