Deng Xiaoping was a Chinese revolutionary and statesman who served as the paramount leader of the People's Republic of China from 1978 until 1992. After Mao Zedong's death, Deng led his country through far-reaching market-economy reforms, often referred to as the 'socialist market economy'. He opened China to foreign investment and the global market, policies that are credited with developing China into one of the world's fastest-growing economies. His leadership and economic theories set the stage for China's rise as a modern global power.