What were the material differences such that the USSR was able to use central planning to develop their economy into a superpower, while the Chinese economy struggled to alleviate poverty without seeking foreign investment?
(I get that the question presupposes legitimacy of the Deng reforms and I am too much of an ignoramus to argue one or the other, so if you think the question is a fundamentally incorrect one I'm interested to know why too)
One example of the top of my dome is that during some of the big famines after the revolution there was a large aid movement from the West. I can try and find a source.
Edit: here’s the food charity I was thinking of