On the morning of February 21, 1972, US President Richard Nixon landed in the People's Republic of China. 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. Examining China's perceptions and tactics in negotiating with the United States during the Cold War, this Working Paper features an introduction by Yafeng Xia and translations of more than 30 original documents from the Chinese Foreign Ministry. On the 50th anniversary of President Nixons trip, China experts William Alford and Mark Wu discuss that history-making journey. Keenly aware of the support Taiwan enjoyed in the US, especially among lawmakers, Nixon understood that "the discussions with the Chinese cannot look like a sell-out of Taiwan" or like we were "dumping our friends". Good Americans, Bad Americans, and the US-China Rapprochement. Mao, even then, was quite frail. On the morning of February 21, 1972, US President Richard Nixon landed in the Peoples Republic of China. Language links are at the top of the page across from the title. inflation. 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. 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. It is over 6,300 kilometers long, which makes it the third-longest river in the world. RUWITCH: Winston Lord was 34 at the time and an aide to Kissinger. I think its only one of a series of contingent events that altered the course of the late 20th and early 21st centuries. The fate of Taiwan was not addressed, and the issue still stalks U.S.-China. And it kept its defense treaty with Taiwan intact. "It was unprecedented, and probably the most meaningful part in the communique. JOE LOPEZ: This is an interesting one here, this section - what they want, what we want, what we both want. On the eve of the big day, Bloomberg spoke to Anthony Ledru . Kissinger and his assistant Winston Lord were also present. 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). History alone does not provide direct answers to these critical questions. They'd probably like the U.S. out of Asia. Copyright (c) 2022. 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. Richard Nixon Library,WHPO-8521-17a, National Archives Identifier:40509550. This fostered sustained economic growth. Nixon's 1972 Visit to China at 50 | Wilson Center The communique issued on August 17, 1982 stated that the US took no position on Taiwan's sovereignty and that this was an issue the two sides of the Strait should resolve. Landmarks in China | China Family Attractions | Geo China for Kids 1585 Massachusetts Ave. The US-China rapprochement, symbolized by Nixons visit, substantially altered the international balance of power and arguably concluded the Cold War in East Asia. In a coded cable sent back to the White House, Kissinger shared the good news with Nixon in one word: Eureka.. Luoyang's biggest attraction, these are among four of China's most famous ancient caves. Copyright 2022 NPR. The next morning, February 21, at 7 am the Nixons left Guam for Shanghai. The visit helped to break several decades of US-PRC hostility and launched a new cooperative course in the relationship that generally persisted until the end of the Cold War, if not longer. So, the fact that Nixon, as president, would be willing to embark in outreach to Beijing came as a surprise. They also highlight that Nixon was perhaps a follower, not a trendsetter, among democratic countries in seeking a new modus vivendi with China. In many ways, he was right. Throughout the 1950s and much of the 1960s, the U.S. and PRC maintained a frosty relationship. Kissinger, who had just emerged from the glittering success of the first visit, also took Nixon's Air Force One, the "Spirit of '76". It's been 50 years since President Nixon went to China, a trip that changed the world's balance of power. "The secondary contradiction between the US and China was set aside so that both could focus on the primary contradiction," Rigger said. Feb. 21, 2022 3 AM PT. We strive for accuracy and fairness. No. George Magnus, a research associate at Oxford University's China Centre, also said Kissinger's goal was flawed in design. Wu: There are areas of profound disagreement, but also narrower areas where the two sides may choose to cooperate. Aside from wining and dining, the two sat downseveral times to exchange views on a host of international problems from the Vietnam War to the Soviet Union to the status of Taiwan. Later interviews with correspondents who traveled with the President show how eager they were to be on the trip, which some labeled the most important summit meeting ever. The resulting document that was issued on the last day of Nixon's China trip in February 1972, would become known as the Shanghai Communique. This was the week that changed the world. What Lessons Can We Learn from The Week that Changed the World?. All rights reserved. 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. 'White House Plumbers' and beyond: A viewers' guide to the Watergate Despite Bush's fight, Beijing took over the seat at the UN previously occupied by Taiwan with a landslide victory in the General Assembly vote. In a meeting with Taiwan's military leaders on February 26, a day before the issuance of the landmark China-US joint communique in Shanghai, Chiang told the generals that Taiwan must have a new . The Chinese, it turned out, had their own strategic reasons to re-open dialogue with the United States. As for the visit itself, I agree with Bills prescient observation that we pay too little attention to what was happening within China itself. RIGGER: I would argue that Beijing, to this day, looks back on those events as a kind of betrayal and says, you know, there's an original sin here. 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.