Some scholars who use the term United States of China argue that during the process of Chinese economic reform the People's Republic has evolved into a de facto federal state in which these economic regions have wide discretion to implement policy goals which are set by the PRC central government and in which provinces and localities actively compete with each other in order to advance economically.
Some scholars who use the term "United States of China" argue that during China's economic reforms, the People's Republic has evolved into a de facto federal state where regional economic entities have considerable autonomy to implement policies set by the PRC central government and engage in competitive economic advancement with each other.