He knew that Japan, South Korea, and Taiwan had relied heavily on U.S. science, technology, and education to achieve modernization. He had found that many of the patents for goods produced in Europe were held by U.S. individuals and companies, so that even technological help from Europe would require cooperation with the United States. Normalization of Sino-American relations was thus an important first step in building a relationship with the United States that would enable China to modernize.
