Engagement strategy was fundamentally a Cold War strategy developed when the Soviet Union was at its apex, designed to use China as a counterweight and then build openness after containment was addressed—the chronology matters for understanding what the original objectives were.

The peak of Cold War Soviet power was at a point that the US government 'didn't do so bad' in terms of dealing with the American security dimension before dealing with China; the US government role was minimal (just removing containment restrictions) while the private sector was unleashed to build contacts and trade in China as part of the implementation strategy of engagement.

From the Chinese perspective, the downturn in relations began around 1989 because it looked like a repeat of the Cultural Revolution with foreign manipulation (the 'black hand of the United States') intervening and exploiting vulnerabilities inherent in connections that came about because of engagement.

When engagement and the tactics for implementing it were 'hammered out,' Taiwan had not yet democratized (it suspended elections) and South Korea had not yet democratized (both happened a decade later), so getting the chronology right shows that modernization theory expectations about democracy in Taiwan and South Korea were hopes, not known outcomes when engagement strategy was designed.