The gradual opening of China began in 1972 with Richard Nixon’s visit to Beijing, took a decisive turn in late 1978 (two years after Mao Zedong’s death) with the rise of Deng Xiaoping and the launching of long-overdue economic reforms (the de facto privatization of farming, modernization of industry, and partial return to private enterprise), and accelerated after China joined the World Trade Organization (WTO) in 2001.
