VOICES

Reaction to the death of Chinese leader Deng Xiaopeng

“China today plays an important role in world affairs in no small part because of Mr. Deng’s decision to open his country to the outside world. Over the past two decades, Mr. Deng was an extraordinary figure on the world stage and the driving force behind China’s decision to normalize relations with the United States.”

--President Clinton

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“It would obviously be a great advantage for China as well as all of us if there were a smooth transition. We very much want to have a multi-faceted relationship [with China]

--Secretary of State Madeleine K. Albright

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“The fate of this man was very close to me.”

--Former Soviet President Mikhail S. Gorbachev

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“He could be tough. He could also be brutal. And you could see the spark of creativity that allowed him to put China on a new and productive path. He has transformed China and thereby has had an immense impact on the shape of the future.”

--Former U.S. Secretary of State George P. Shultz

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“He will also be remembered for his role in the 1989 massacre, and for maintaining a policy of tight political control with severe restriction on fundamental human rights.”

--Mike Jendrzejczyk, Washington director of Human Rights Watch/Asia

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“As long as Deng was alive, the leadership struggle was frozen. This is the starting signal for the post-Deng era.

--Arthur Waldron, professor of strategy at Naval War College

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”. . . one of the greatest leaders of the 20th century.”

--Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu