Deng Xiaoping embarked on a major process of economic changes, and pressed the U.S. to open trade relations.
The next year, Deng Xiaoping proposed the "one country, two systems" approach for unification with both Hong Kong and Taiwan.
In 1989, in the aftermath of the Chinese military crackdown on demonstrations in Beijing's Tiananmen Square in the spring, the United States and other nations imposed economic sanctions on China, and many U.S. citizens evacuated the country.
Bush maintained communications with senior Chinese leaders, though tensions continued into the next year, with criticisms aired from both sides.
President Bush maintained support for Taiwan by authorizing new arms sales and dispatching a Special Trade Representative to the island.
When this status came up for renewal the next year, Clinton reversed this position and granted China MFN without requiring any changes regarding human rights.
[citation needed] In the first decade of the twenty-first century, the PRC lobby has focused on playing up common interests with the United States in the War on Terrorism.
[9] Consequentially, the U.S.-China Business Council and the United States of America-China Chamber of Commerce have gone relatively silent compared to previous years when China enjoyed widespread support within American political circles when it joined the WTO.