Published : 2025-01-19
On January 19, 1976, then Chinese leader Deng Xiaoping (鄧小平) appeared on the cover of the "Time" magazine for the first time.
The cover featured a close-up portrait of Deng, with the title "China: Friend or Foe?" in the upper right corner and "Chou's Successor: Teng Hsiao-ping" in small print in the lower left corner.
The significance of Time choosing Deng Xiaoping for the cover is clear, because after the death of Premier Zhou Enlai (周恩來) on January 8, Deng Xiaoping was recognised as the future successor.
In fact, Zhou Enlai was suffering from cancer before his death, and in the last few months of his life, he still played a major role in making important government decisions, but at the same time, he had handed over many daily tasks to then Vice Premier Deng Xiaoping.
Inside the magazine, the article focused on the future direction of China's foreign policy.
The article questioned whether China's foreign policy would change after Zhou Enlai's death, reverting to the early 1950s situation of friendliness with the Soviet Union and opposition to the West.
It then provided a detailed introduction to Zhou's life and to Deng's previous experiences and current situation.
