ABSTRACT
The US-China relationship would proceed; but without a comprehensive solution to the Taiwan issue, tension would continue to underlie it. The United States and China had not yet normalized relations, the impact of Nixon's opening to China continued to influence the global strategic structure. Deng Xiaoping became the leader of China, solidifying Ids position at the Eleventh Communist Party Congress in August 1977, the Fifth National People's Congress in March 1978, and the Third Plenum of the Eleventh Chinese Communist Party (CCP) Central Committee in October-November 1978. Deng was concerned with China's worsening relations with the USSR's ally. Deng's platform placed economic growth as the overriding concern of the Chinese leadership. In January 1979, right after normalization, Deng Xiaoping visited the United States for nine days. Normalizing relations with the United States showed Vietnam that China had powerful friends as well. A poster in Beijing pleaded for Carter to intervene directly to protect human rights in China.
