President from 1977 to 1981, Carter had faced a series of health challenges in recent years. In 2015, he was treated for a melanoma that had spread to his brain and liver and had further brain surgery in 2019 after repeated falls.
He built on rounds of diplomatic efforts initiated by his predecessor Richard Nixon’s historic visit to China in 1972, a trip that ended a 25-year freeze in relations between the two governments.
In December 1978, Carter announced that diplomatic ties with the People’s Republic of China had been established, ceasing official recognition of the Republic of China government in Taipei.
The announcement was followed the next month by Deng’s visit to the US, making him the most senior PRC official at the time to be welcomed at the White House.
