It was an adherance to more traditional Marxist economics than under the Gang of Four. Marxists don’t believe you can develop the productive forces to the level where public ownership is better through fiat, or by decree. If you go back and read Marx and Engels, and even Lenin, they make it clear that they believed even in developed Capitalist economies, only the large firms should be nationalized, while the small firms should be allowed to naturally develop, perhaps with a bit of a push.
China did not abandon Communism, they pivoted from their Left-deviationism that was based in idealism, not materialism.
It was right-deviationism of using markets and foreign capital investment to build up productive forces.
It was an adherance to more traditional Marxist economics than under the Gang of Four. Marxists don’t believe you can develop the productive forces to the level where public ownership is better through fiat, or by decree. If you go back and read Marx and Engels, and even Lenin, they make it clear that they believed even in developed Capitalist economies, only the large firms should be nationalized, while the small firms should be allowed to naturally develop, perhaps with a bit of a push.