In December 1978, China’s top leaders repudiated Mao Zedong’s Cultural Revolution and began opening up and reforming their economy. Soon after, the United States broke diplomatic relations with the Republic of China, aka Taiwan, and established relations with the People’s Republic of China.
As a result, China’s popularity in the U.S. soared to its highest point in modern times. Seventy-two percent in early 1979, according to Gallup polling, held favorable views of the world’s most populous country. Gallup surveys over the past decade have shown that at least half of the public believes China is already the world’s leading economic power. Of course, we don’t know yet what impact China’s latest pandemic and housing troubles will have on these perceptions.
