"U.S. eases curbs on exports to China" read a Reuters headline on March 1, 1989, when Washington lifted long-standing restrictions on technology shipments to China.
On that day, U.S. commerce officials talked warmly of improving ties with China and of the need to help its economy — then about half the size of Italy's — to grow, despite the objections of military strategists at the Pentagon.
Friday not only marks the 30th anniversary of the decision, but it is also the deadline set by U.S. President Donald Trump for a deal to end the seven-month trade war with China, now its biggest economic rival.