Deng Xiaoping and Mikhail Gorbachev, who were both communists, began serious reforms after the passing of a leader that had detested reforms. Gorbachev replaced the last Mao beneficiary. Deng Xiaoping and his partners succeeded Mao after a power struggle with hardliners in 1978. Mao’s harsh regime that included the starvation of the Great Leap and the reeducations of the Cultural Revolution left much space for reforms. Both when they rose to power, domestic trade needed change as Russia had outgrown rationing and people would have to have connections to get goods while the Chinese market was lacking and customers would receive coupons for different types of goods and wait long in line for the rationed product Both Deng and Gorbachev brought about political changes that were crucial for economic reforms.
Deng and Gorbachev both understood the amount of work that had to be put in to economically catch up with already advanced capitalist nations. They both knew that they required systematic and comprehensive improvement with regards to the outside world regardless of differences in ideologies. At the time when they both came to power domestic trade was dominated by state trade networks and they sought to change that. This meant that they both knew that they had to enforce economic reforms for progress.