Deng Xiaoping was a prominent Chinese leader who led China's economic reforms from 1978 to the early 1990s. He introduced socialist market reforms and China's opening up to the West to modernize China's economy. Key aspects of Deng's reforms included decentralizing control over local economies, implementing market incentives over political appeals, and allowing foreign investment to accelerate China's industrialization and economic growth. Deng's policies transformed China into one of the fastest growing economies in the world and established China as a global economic power.