In May 1980, Chinese leader Deng Xiaoping proclaimed coastal Shenzhen his nation’s first special economic zone, open to foreign investment and international trade. Halfway around the globe, Silicon Valley was just then becoming a household name. Apple IIs sprouted on desktops and American living rooms were filled with kids playing Space Invaders on their Atari 2600s. The biggest overseas threat to U.S. technological dominance was Japan.
