Abstract: The capitalist world system is the structural premise and external condition of Chinese socialist practice, and its evolution over the past century has formed a powerful shaping function for socialist practice. On the one hand, the evolution of capitalist world system shows geographical expansion, which includes more and more heterogeneous regions. Therefore, socialist countries face the problem of maintaining national autonomy in the process of limited integration into the world economy. On the other hand, in the capitalist world system, the industry of developed countries is constantly upgrading, forming more and more firm capital control over the marginal countries. Therefore, the relatively backward socialist countries give full play to their institutional advantages to achieve economic catch-up, which is an inevitable requirement to get rid of the system control by the capitalist world. Only by placing Chinese socialist practice in the dual dimensions of the exploration of the socialist system of the backward countries and the maintenance of national autonomy and the realization of the catch-up in the capitalist world system of the marginal countries, can we grasp its institutional characteristics more accurately.