Deng Xiaoping 邓小平 was one of the most consequential Chinese and world leaders of the 20th century. A Chinese revolutionary, Deng held high-ranking positions within the Chinese Communist Party during the Mao Zedong era (1949-1976) but was purged and removed from power on two separate occasions. After the death of Mao in the late 1970s, Deng rose to preeminence within the CCP and presided over China during a period of rapid political and economic change. Although Deng’s name is synonymous with the policy of opening and reform and China’s fast-paced economic growth, Deng's legacy is complicated by his responsibility for the tragic, deadly crackdown at Tiananmen Square in June 1989.
What is the meaning of China’s rise? What are its consequences? Are China, the rising power and the world’s second largest economy, and the United States, the dominant power in the world, likely to chart a perilous course toward the “Thucydides’s Trap”?
Deng Xiaoping visited Tokyo in 1978 and again in 1979. The records of these visits are important for understanding Sino-Japanese relations, the rise of China, and Japan’s role in the Cold War.
What official Chinese sources say—and don’t say—about the country’s recent history
Martin Albers discusses Deng Xiaoping's 1975 visit to France - the first major Western country to fully recognize the People's Republic of China - and the trip's importance to Deng's future economic policy in China.
