On a bright January morning in 1979, then US president Jimmy Carter greeted a historic guest in Washington: Deng Xiaoping, the man who unlocked China's economy. The first leader of Communist China to visit the United States, Deng had arrived the previous evening, to light snow and a welcome by the US vice-president, the secretary of state and their spouses. It was the start of a diplomatic relationship that would forever change the world, setting the stage for China's economic ascent - and later, its rivalry with the US. Establishing formal ties with China was among Carter's more remarkable legacies, during a turbulent presidency that ended with one term. Born on 1 October, the same date as the founding of the People's Republic of China, "he liked to say it was destiny that brought him and China together", said Yawei Liu, a close friend of Carter's. Even after leaving office, he painstakingly cultivated a close bond with the Chinese people - but that was affected as ties between Washington and Beijing cooled. Yet he remains one of a small group of US statesmen cherished by Beijing for helping to bring Communist China out of isolation in the 1970s. Beijing has expressed its condolences, calling Carter the "driving force" behind the 1979 agreement. But the Chinese internet has gone much further, referring to him as "Meirenzong" or the "benevolent American", giving him a title that was once reserved for emperors. Wooing Beijing Carter's first encounter with China was in 1949, while the country was suffering the final convulsions of a bloody decades-long civil war. As a young US naval officer, his submarine unit was dispatched to Qingdao in eastern China. They were to aid Kuomintang troops who were fending off a Communist siege by Mao Zedong's army. Just kilometres away behind enemy lines was a Chinese commander named Deng Xiaoping. When they finally met decades later, it was as leaders of their respective countries. It was an earlier US President, Richard Nixon, and his secretary of state Henry Kissinger who had laid the groundwork for wooing what was then Mao's China. With Beijing and Moscow at loggerheads, they had sensed an opportunity to draw away a Soviet ally. But those efforts culminated under Carter - and Deng - who pushed for deeper ties. For months, the US president dispatched trusted negotiators for secret talks with Beijing. 'It was destiny': How Jimmy Carter embraced China and changed history 7 hours ago Tessa Wong Asia Digital Reporter, BBC News Share Save Getty Images Former US Presidents Jimmy Carter (L) and China's paramount leader Deng Xiaoping hug each other on June 29, 1987 in Beijing.Getty Images Carter and Deng, seen hugging in 1987 in Beijing, had a close relationship On a bright January morning in 1979, then US president Jimmy Carter greeted a historic guest in Washington: Deng Xiaoping, the man who unlocked China's economy. The first leader of Communist China to visit the United States, Deng had arrived the previous evening, to light snow and a welcome by the US vice-president, the secretary of state and their spouses. It was the start of a diplomatic relationship that would forever change the world, setting the stage for China's economic ascent - and later, its rivalry with the US. Establishing formal ties with China was among Carter's more remarkable legacies, during a turbulent presidency that ended with one term. Born on 1 October, the same date as the founding of the People's Republic of China, "he liked to say it was destiny that brought him and China together", said Yawei Liu, a close friend of Carter's. Even after leaving office, he painstakingly cultivated a close bond with the Chinese people - but that was affected as ties between Washington and Beijing cooled. Yet he remains one of a small group of US statesmen cherished by Beijing for helping to bring Communist China out of isolation in the 1970s. Beijing has expressed its condolences, calling Carter the "driving force" behind the 1979 agreement. But the Chinese internet has gone much further, referring to him as "Meirenzong" or the "benevolent American", giving him a title that was once reserved for emperors. What to know about Jimmy Carter's funeral Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter's legendary 77-year marriage Wooing Beijing Carter's first encounter with China was in 1949, while the country was suffering the final convulsions of a bloody decades-long civil war. As a young US naval officer, his submarine unit was dispatched to Qingdao in eastern China. They were to aid Kuomintang troops who were fending off a Communist siege by Mao Zedong's army. Just kilometres away behind enemy lines was a Chinese commander named Deng Xiaoping. When they finally met decades later, it was as leaders of their respective countries. It was an earlier US President, Richard Nixon, and his secretary of state Henry Kissinger who had laid the groundwork for wooing what was then Mao's China. With Beijing and Moscow at loggerheads, they had sensed an opportunity to draw away a Soviet ally. But those efforts culminated under Carter - and Deng - who pushed for deeper ties. For months, the US president dispatched trusted negotiators for secret talks with Beijing. Getty Images Chinese leader Deng Xiao Ping and US President Jimmy Carter signing an agreement for cooperation between China and the United States on science and technology, Washington, DC, January 1979.Getty Images Deng and Carter sign an agreement during Deng's visit to the US in January 1979, after formal ties were established The breakthrough came in late 1978. In the middle of December, the two countries announced that they would "recognise each other and establish diplomatic relations from January 1, 1979". The world was surprised and Beijing was elated, but the island of Taiwan, which had long relied on US support against Chinese claims, was crushed. Carter is still a controversial figure there. Previously, the US had only recognised the government of Taiwan, which China viewed as a renegade province. And for years US support for Taiwan had been the sticking point in negotiations. Switching recognition to Beijing meant the US had finally acknowledged China's position that there was only one Chinese government - and it was in Beijing. This is the One China policy, which, to this day, forms the cornerstone of US-China relations. But the pivot raised inevitable questions about US commitment to its allies. Uneasy with Carter's decision, Congress eventually forced through a law codifying its right to provide Taiwan with defensive weapons, thus creating a lasting contradiction in US foreign policy. Still historians agree that 1979 signalled an extraordinary set of moves that reoriented global power: not only did it unite the US and China against the Soviet Union, but also paved the way for peace and rapid economic growth in East Asia.