[4] After World War II, Americans saw relations between the United States and the Soviet Union deteriorating, the Soviets consolidating communist allies over much of Eastern Europe, and the potential victory of CCP forces in the Chinese Civil War. Part of Kissinger's mission was to hammer out the finer details of United States president Richard Nixon's historic trip to China that both sides had agreed to in July, including setting the date and discussing press coverage to convince the hostile public in the US to warm towards communist China. Nixon himself had won early political fame as an anti-communist hawk with his pursuit of Alger Hiss, a former State Department official accused of spying for the Soviet Union. Richard M. Nixon that were revealed following the arrest of five burglars at Democratic National Committee (DNC) headquarters in the Watergate office-apartment-hotel complex in Washington, D.C., on June 17, 1972. Alford: I think that, as with so much else in the U.S.-China relationship for the past two centuries, treatment of the Nixon trip remarkably has been viewed almost exclusively through a U.S. prism, with almost no attention to the Chinese side. So, the fact that Nixon, as president, would be willing to embark in outreach to Beijing came as a surprise. However, it's quite clear that China is now far bigger and far more influential than in 1972, and has the will and the capacity to try and reshape the global governance system and institutions in its own interests," he said. "This is useless: this is a typical diplomatic document that papers over differences. Nevertheless, Mao felt well enough to insist to his officials that he would meet with Nixon upon his arrival. Nixon visited the PRC to gain more leverage over relations with the Soviet Union. Washington "acknowledged" the PRC's claim to the island - that "Taiwan is part of China" - and stated it "does not challenge" that claim. Nixon and Kissinger cooked up this idea of pitting the Soviet Union and China against each other with the United States as a third corner of the triangle to create a stable balance of power, says Evan Thomas, journalist and author of Being Nixon: A Man Divided. They also highlight that Nixon was perhaps a follower, not a trendsetter, among democratic countries in seeking a new modus vivendi with China. "It was unprecedented, and probably the most meaningful part in the communique. Landmarks can include historical, cultural, natural, and human-made constructions. President Nixon arrives in China for talks - History The fate of Taiwan was not addressed, and the issue still stalks U.S.-China. [25], John T. Downey and Richard Fecteau, CIA operatives who were held captive in China from November 1952, were released after Nixon's visit to China. It's been 50 years since President Nixon went to China, a trip that changed the world's balance of power. RUWITCH: The Soviet Union may be gone and the war in Vietnam long over. "Kissinger's strategic goal - to kick Taiwan into the long grass to allow the US and China to pursue parallel and aligned interests - worked a treat. The biggest coup was Kissingers secret visit to Beijing in July 1971 to meet face-to-face with the Chinese leader Chou Enlai. The Americans will say that [the] Chinese attitude of finger-pointing is precisely the lesson - that engagement in the hope to change China is a mistake," she said. Ailing Chinese leader Mao Zedong wanted to meet. On the eve of the big day, Bloomberg spoke to Anthony Ledru . They also shook hands with each other, the photograph of which is probably the most famous image to come out of the trip. Nixons intention with his visit was to project goodwill and cooperation, and make it known to the world that the U.S. recognized a third superpower on the world stage, one that could be an important economic ally and a strategic foil in negotiations with the Soviets. 10 Famous Landmarks in China You Absolutely Must See - Jones Around The [citation needed], Within a year after Nixon's visit, a number of U.S. allies including Japan, Great Britain, and West Germany had broken relations with Taiwan in order to establish them with China. RUWITCH: He says the U.S. wanted help ending the war in Vietnam and a reduced threat of confrontation with China. Mao said that he had no interest in Japan's Communist Party, and "also voted" for Kakuei Tanaka. 3, get U.S. out of Asia. Fifty years ago today, President Nixon landed in Beijing for the historic weeklong trip that effectively ended the United States' long isolation from the People's . They ask whether it really was the week that changed the world, and they question whether Nixon, a Republican and staunch anti-communist, was really the only American leader capable of opening relations with China. China is modernizing rapidly, a fact which makes its ancient treasures all the more precious. Throughout the week the President and his senior advisers engaged in substantive discussions with the PRC leadership, including a meeting with CCP chairman Mao Zedong, while First Lady Pat Nixon toured schools, factories and hospitals in the cities of Beijing, Hangzhou and Shanghai with the large American press corps in tow. The visit and subsequent normalization of relations with the West provided the ideological cover necessary for the economic reforms of the 1980s that launched China from a pariah state to the economic juggernaut that it is today. 2, Taiwan. This is where you get to experience one of the most beloved animals in the world, the Panda Bear, in its most natural habitat. William P. Alford: Thank you, Mark. It is part of the Wilson Center's History and Public Policy Program. HLT: It is generally portrayed as Nixon changing the world indeed, leading to the phrase a Nixon goes to China moment. Both men were aware of the historic significance of what they were doing, says Thomas, and they were both showmen in their own way.. The negotiations over the communique went for months, finishing when Nixon's week-long China visit had almost drawn to a close and ultimately boiling down to semantics, especially in relation to Taiwan. "It underscored the vision and the extraordinary ability of our leaders back then to take a long view and make sound strategic decisions that may affect future generations.". Richard Nixon - Mao Zedong | RealClearPolitics Kissinger, who had just emerged from the glittering success of the first visit, also took Nixon's Air Force One, the "Spirit of '76". Astill rather tedious negotiating and acculturation process was necessary before the formal exchange of diplomatic relations could be achieved in 1979, and before business, military, cultural, and people-to-people ties could flourish over the next few decades. "[19][20], As an observer of the MaoNixon meeting, Lord noted Mao's peasant-like sensibilities and self-deprecating humor. 130 Most Famous Landmarks in the World - Destguides The Digital Archive also features materials on the diverse responses to Nixons visit from members of both the capitalist, communist, and non-aligned camps. Before the US president left China, the Nixon and Zhou teams hammered out an agreement between the United States and China known as the Shanghai Communique a document that outlined both individual and common interests, articulated a One-China policy that would redefine cross-strait and US-Taiwan relations, and called upon both countries to work together toward diplomatic normalization. When former American national security adviser Henry Kissinger returned to Beijing three months after his secret groundbreaking trip in July 1971, the real test had just begun for the Cold War rivals seeking rapprochement through dialogue. In fact, they werent even sure my uncles had survived the Cultural Revolution. This meeting was arranged and facilitated by Pakistan through its strong diplomatic channels with China. HLT: What was most significant about that trip? Ambassador to China) Winston Lord noted that, by flexibly dealing with both the Soviet Union and China, the United States sought to pressure both countries to reduce their support for North Vietnam in their new prioritization of relations with the United States. JOHN RUWITCH, BYLINE: Shortly after landing in Beijing, as the first U.S. president to set foot in China for more than two decades, Nixon was summoned. On February 21, 1972, Richard Nixon became the first sitting United States president to set foot in the Peoples Republic of China (PRC). Wu: Taiwan saw the Nixon and Carter administrations actions as betrayals. And it kept its defense treaty with Taiwan intact. And what we have said today is that we shall build that bridge. At the time, Lord says, Beijing appeared to be happy with the arrangement. The surprise announcement was the result of months of top-secret diplomacy between the Nixon White House and Beijing. However, the U.S. continued to maintain official relations with the government of the Republic of China in Taiwan and did not break off until 1979, when the U.S. established full diplomatic relations with the PRC. [7] Ulysses S. Grant visited China on a world tour after leaving office, meeting Prince Gong and Li Hongzhang. Fifty years ago this week, President Richard Nixon made his famous trip to China. Code-named "[Operation Marco] Polo II" and publicly announced weeks before Kissinger left for China, it was effectively a full-scale dress rehearsal for the historic presidential visit. It was brilliant stagecraft.. National Security Council staffer (and later U.S. The trip helped bring China out of isolation and realign the global balance of power. J. Stapleton Roy, Douglas Spelman, and Yafeng Xia revisit a critical turning point in the history of the Cold War, President Nixons visit to China in 1972, on an episode of the Wilson Center's dialogue. While on a diplomatic trip to Pakistan, Kissinger feigned a stomach illness that would keep him locked away in his hotel room for several days. Buildings and monuments can also be included. The two sides hadnt spoken for decades, and the United States was at war with the Communist North Vietnamese in Chinas backyard. Those islands featured repeatedly during the famous 1960 presidential debates when Nixon repeatedly tried to cast Kennedy as soft in his willingness to defend allies against communism. This was the week that changed the world. We understand each other very well. It was recorded on the Nixon tapes. It was also the subject of a PBS documentary film, American Experience: Nixon's China Game. Only after the Nixon visit did my father dare to reach out to his brothers, leading to the family being reunited many years later. Tiffany Landmark Flagship in NYC Will Cater to Ultra-Elite Shoppers Premier Zhou chaperoned Nixon for most of the trip, having been delegated responsibility for the fine grain details of US-China relations by Chairman Mao. It adds textures and nuance to our understanding of China's mindset and strategies in diplomatic negotiations, and should aid American diplomats dealing with China in the 21st Century. Today, the Potala Palace is a museum. To be sure, some American academics, including Jerome Cohen, who was the founding director of Harvards East Asian Legal Studies program, had from the late 60s been urging a re-evaluation of U.S.-China policy. LOPEZ: What we both want, reduced danger of confrontation and conflict, a more stable Asia and a restraint of USSR. During the ensuing two decades, various factions in the party would fight over whether economic and political reform was necessary. Nixon's unprecedented presidential trip to China in 1972 steadied a rocky diplomatic relationship. Photographs of Nixon standing on top the Great Wall, viewing The Red Detachment of Women,or toasting Chinese Premier Zhou Enlai circulated widely around the globe. Copyright 2022 NPR. How has it framed the subsequent development of the U.S.-PRC relationship? His doctors weren't sure he could do this meeting. The authoritative record of NPRs programming is the audio record. Pete Millwood - No, Not Only Nixon Could Go to China. Find History on Facebook (Opens in a new window), Find History on Twitter (Opens in a new window), Find History on YouTube (Opens in a new window), Find History on Instagram (Opens in a new window), Find History on TikTok (Opens in a new window), HUM Images/Universal Images Group/Getty Images, How Ping-Pong Diplomacy Thawed the Cold War, https://www.history.com/news/nixon-china-visit-cold-war, How Nixons 1972 Visit to China Changed the Balance of Cold War Power. For two decades, my grandparents had been afraid to get in touch, lest it cause further harm to my uncles. But over time, Taiwan has itself become more important, as well as democratic, and China's strategic and territorial goals have become more forcefully asserted and politically articulated," Magnus said. The normalization of ties culminated in 1979, when the U.S. established full diplomatic relations with the PRC. Sky Tower in Auckland, North Island. Visit our website terms of use and permissions pages at www.npr.org for further information. 'White House Plumbers' and beyond: A viewers' guide to the Watergate The U.K., West Germany, Japan, and Australia quickly switched their diplomatic recognition in the months following the Nixon visit, even though the U.S. would not formally do so until 1979. Landmarks in China | China Family Attractions | Geo China for Kids "The Chinese might say that the lesson is [that the] US needs to return to the correct path set by the Shanghai Communique and treat China as a friend again. Zhou Yi - Less Revolution, More Realpolitik: Chinas Foreign Policy in the Early and Middle 1970s. The History and Public Policy Programmakes public the primary source record of 20th and 21st century international history from repositories around the world, facilitates scholarship based on those records, and uses these materials to provide context for classroom, public, and policy debates on global affairs. I think its only one of a series of contingent events that altered the course of the late 20th and early 21st centuries. An overview of Richard Nixons February 1972 visit to China and associated Wilson Center publications and Digital Archive resources. At the time of the visit, my grandparents, my father, and my aunt were all in the U.S., but two of my uncles and their families had remained in China after 1949. The second collection, Sino-American Cooperation, 1972-1989," details the new, cooperative phase in relations that followed Nixons visit in 1972 and lasted until the brutal crackdowns on Chinas pro-democracy movement in 1989. The outreach by Nixon and [National Security Adviser Henry] Kissinger was of great consequence, of course, but the portrayal of China as entirely passive waiting for the U.S. to come along irks me. Nixon himself had served as vice president during the Eisenhower administration, which had been steadfast in its support of the ROC, when the Chinese Communists attempted to retake the islands of Kinmen and Matsu. Kissinger and his assistant Winston Lord were also present. A masterful account of one of the most dramatic moments in American diplomatic history, President Richard Nixon's visit to China in 1972. Nixon did not shift the Wests policy toward Communist China; it was already happening. Almost as soon as the American president arrived in the Chinese capital, CCP Chairman Mao Zedong summoned him for a quick meeting. The trip is consistently ranked by historians, scholars, and journalists as one of the most importantif not the most importantvisits by a U.S. president anywhere in the world. MacMillan provides vivid thumbnail biographies of the four major players in the drama of that weeklong visit, Nixon, Mao, Henry Kissinger and Chou En-lai, each a fascinating character in his own right. This article originally appeared in the South China Morning Post (SCMP), the most authoritative voice reporting on China and Asia for more than a century. So what they want, President Nixon writes, build up their world credentials. RUWITCH: Where they wanted to cooperate most was in counterbalancing the Soviet Union, which both saw as a threat. There certainly is antipathy there, but in trying to understand its policy decisions, we shouldnt be ignoring either domestic considerations there or Chinas need to address certain challenges that all nations face. Feb. 21, 2022 3 AM PT. Another element that is not well understood is how divided U.S. allies were in their China policy in the early 1970s. For the 50th anniversary of the "week that changed the world"--- the summit between the United States and China from February 21-28, 1972 during which US President Richard Nixon met with Chinese Communist Party leader Mao Zedong---this video features excerpts from China experts on the significance of what is considered one of the major diplomatic turning points in modern history. With the premiere of HBO's "White House Plumbers," the Watergate scandal is having yet another moment, 51 years after the original break-in that ultimately led to Richard Nixon's resignation. At one point Nixon intervened, cautioning Zhou that "if too much was said publicly, that would be seized upon by Americans who opposed the opening to China from both right and left as an excuse to disrupt normalisation". But the meeting failed to address one major issue, one that's become an even more pressing issue today. What was the backdrop? Mao spoke simply and inelegantly, but clearly communicated approval of the visit and its diplomatic utility. Russia's war against Ukraine has largely overshadowed the 50th anniversary of Nixon's landmark trip to China in 1972, which established the basis for a normalization of relations between the two powers. [10], In July 1971, President Nixon's National Security Advisor Henry Kissinger secretly visited Beijing during a trip to Pakistan, and laid the groundwork for Nixon's visit to China. On 15 July 1971 at 19:00 local time, US President Richard Nixon walked into an NBC television studio in California and announced to the world that he had accepted an invitation from Premier Zhou . To avoid embarrassing Secretary of State William P. Rogers, Nixon requested to the Chinese for Lord to be cropped out of all the official photographs of the meeting. Diverging economic policies of US, China risk another 'Nixon shock', For only the second time in its history, the US Navy is beginning the slow, tricky process of taking apart a nuclear-powered aircraft carrier, A Towering, Terrifying Demon Horse Isnt Even the Weirdest Part, Man who lost wife, son in Texas mass shooting tells story, Roman Polanski and the woman he pleaded guilty to raping pose together 45 years later, Hunter Biden appears in court for paternity case. [citation needed], Nixon held many meetings with Chinese Premier Zhou Enlai during the trip, and made visits to the Great Wall, Hangzhou, and Shanghai. Kazushi Minami - Why did Mao Shake Hands with Nixon? Richard Nixon Library,WHPO-8521-17a, National Archives Identifier:40509550. JAMES SHEN: Well, Mr. President, I'm going back to Taiwan. Being so large, Yangtze is China's most important waterway, providing water to farmland that gives food to one-third of the population. I have taken this action because of my profound conviction that all nations will gain from a reduction of tensions and a better relationship between the United States and the People's Republic of China, said Nixon in his address. And of course, fifty years after the fact, the Nixon visit is now being evaluated in an entirely new and revisionist light, given the precarious state of US-China relations today. While Zhou Enlai described the Taiwan issue as "the crucial question", Nixon also viewed it as a touchstone for both sides. The Soviets, who previously rejected calls for limiting their nuclear arsenal, changed their tune when Nixon reopened talks with China. In the aftermath of the Chinese civil war, the communists had captured mainland China and declared the founding of the Peoples Republic in 1949. 1. Most importantly, but for the opening, I would not, while in the mid-1980s creating the first academic program in U.S. law in the PRC, have met my wonderful wife. "It's instructive that the US and China were able to reach a modus vivendi in spite of political and ideological differences in 1972 and afterwards. I cant help but see his behavior on this front as redolent of the duplicity we saw in his approach to the Vietnam War and race relations at home, and that eventually did him in. In fact, Nixon was scheduled to travel to meet Soviet leader Leonid Brezhnev shortly after completing his visit to China. For Beijing, the Soviet Union was the primary contradiction, while the primary issues for the US were the Soviets and the Vietnam war. The 1972 visit by United States President Richard Nixon to the People's Republic of China was an important strategic and diplomatic overture that marked the culmination of the Nixon administration's resumption of harmonious relations between the United States (U.S.) and the People's Republic of China (PRC) after years of diplomatic isolation. The Great Hall of the People and 100 Yuan Note. Nixon China visit: Fifty years later, questions hang over the US-China One famous landmark in China that you absolutely need to experience is the Dujiangyan Panda Base (also known as the Chengdu Research Base Of Giant Panda Breeding). [32], In 1979, there was a state visit by Deng Xiaoping to the United States from January to February, the first official visit to the U.S. by a senior leader of the P.R.C. Harvard Law School provides unparalleled opportunities to study law with extraordinary colleagues in a rigorous, vibrant, and collaborative environment. On July 15, 1971, the President announced on live television that he would visit the PRC the following year.[2]. Through an award winning Digital Archive, the Project allows scholars, journalists, students, and the interested public to reassess the Cold War and its many contemporarylegacies. The enemy of my enemy is my friend was a very Nixonian idea., Since direct diplomatic ties between China and the U.S. were severed, Nixon had to work through private back channels in Pakistan and Romania to make overtures to the Chinese, who proved receptive. The U.N. expulsion, the Nixon visit, and the severing of diplomatic ties by many countries afterwards catapulted Taiwan into a diplomatic isolation that is still ongoing. Wu: Gish Jen, a visiting professor in the English department, just released a new book, Thank You Mr. Nixon. Its a wonderful read. Watergate scandal, interlocking political scandals of the administration of U.S. Pres. After a series of these overtures by both countries, Kissinger flew on secret diplomatic missions to Beijing in 1971, where he met with Chinese premier Zhou Enlai. Dave Roos is a freelance writer based in the United States and Mexico. But the U.S., he said, had to take the long view in all of this. On the morning of February 21, 1972, US President Richard Nixon landed in the People's Republic of China. The media coverage of the trip was overwhelmingly positive. [citation needed] Eisenhower made a state visit to Taiwan in 1960, during the period when the United States recognized the Republic of China government in Taipei as the sole government of China. Are China, the rising power and the worlds second largest economy, and the United States, the dominant power in the world, likely to chart a perilous course toward the Thucydidess Trap? One could, however, also argue that some of the massive distrust that marks the U.S.-PRC relationship today stems in part from the fact that the public in China and, to a lesser degree, the U.S. was not apprised of the extent to which Beijing and Washingtons positions regarding Taiwan diverged in 1972 and, then again, when the Carter administration normalized relations in the late 1970s. What has the Nixon visit meant to you? But as the tumultuous 1960s came to a close, the Nixon administration was facing several major challenges: a disastrous war in Vietnam, social strife at home, and stalled nuclear arms negotiations with the Soviets. 81, who had been a classmate, about times when ambiguity may be preferable to clarity. No. 8 Most Famous Landmarks in China - Traveluto Nixon's visit played a role in leading to the September 1972 Japan-China Joint Communiqu. Soon after Nixon settled into his hotel, he was told that Mao Zedong, the aging chairman of the Communist revolution wanted to meet with him. Top 7 Landmarks in China Iconic and Renowned In the two decades since China's Communist Revolution, the countries' Cold War relationship. All Rights Reserved, International Dimensions of Decolonization in the Middle East and North Africa: A Primary Source Collection, The Jupiter Missiles and the Endgame of the Cuban Missile Crisis: Sealing the Deal with Italy and Turkey, Iraqi Archives and the Failure of Saddams Worldview in 2003, The CIA and the Committee for Free Asia under Project DTPILLAR, FJHUMMING: Radio Libertys Russian Language Broadcasts from Taiwan. It'll have no credibility, because how can two nations that have hated each other and fought each other and been isolated from each other for 22 years, suddenly put a document out like this that suggests they're friends?" The aftermath of the Watergate scandal later in 1972 led Nixon to deprioritize further diplomatic efforts with the PRC. While very much a product of the end of history hubris here that reached its apogee with the collapse of the Soviet Union, that attitude seemed to me at that time to be woefully inattentive to Chinas history and contemporary circumstances and not especially discerning about our own country or the course of world history. "Both would agree that Nixon's trip and US-China rapprochement was [the] result of a common threat, without which US-China relations are bound to change.". Alford: The U.S. and PRC were certainly not going to agree on everything and the intentional ambiguity that marked the Shanghai Communiqu proved beneficial for decades. It is over 6,300 kilometers long, which makes it the third-longest river in the world. Alford: It also irks me that Nixon is seen as a global strategic genius. And in the Shanghai Communique, the U.S. crucially acknowledged the Chinese position that Taiwan is a part of China. This fostered sustained economic growth. SCMP China Series: 50 years since Nixon visited China. Churchill and India: Manipulation or Betrayal? Top 10 Landmarks in China, China's Landmarks - China Educational Tours Chen Jian - From Mao to Deng: Chinas Changing Relations with the United States. According to Kissinger, he spent nearly 25 hours over the following week combing through the details of Nixon's upcoming trip and a host of regional issues relating to Taiwan, their shared concerns about the Soviet Union, the Vietnam war and the ongoing South Asian conflict over Bangladesh. China and the United States: Nixon's Legacy after 40 Years - Brookings The Yangtze River is a well-known natural landmark in China. [13] For this ambitious goal to be reached President Nixon had carried out a series of carefully calibrated moves through Communist China's allies Romania and Pakistan. Had Nixon not helped foster that atmosphere, arguably there would have been no need for a Nixon goes to China moment or it would have been much less dramatic. Niu Jun, a historian and expert on international affairs from Peking University, said that besides the Taiwan aspect, the section on common interests - especially the joint commitment on opposing hegemony - also stood out in the 1,800-word document.