Last Friday marked the 110th birthday of Deng Xiaoping, the man who in many ways is the architect of contemporary China. A partner and occasional victim of Mao Zedong, he broke with his predecessor in critical ways upon becoming China’s supreme leader. Deng cast aside the ideological dogma that marked Mao’s reign, embracing instead a pragmatism that serves as the foundation for Chinese policy today. A victim of Mao’s periodic campaigns against enemies, he blunted the sharpest edges of political struggles that occurred while he was in power.
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