The Wilson Center’s Digital Archive contains a considerable number of documents surrounding the Nixon visit to China. Digital Archive Resources on the Nixon Visit A still 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.Īnd 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. Rather than seeking to answer why Nixon went to China, they instead focus on what the Chinese Communist Party wanted when it allowed Nixon to come to China. Many scholars have also emphasized that the Nixon visit, despites its immense international ramifications, did not change US-China relations overnight. They also highlight that Nixon was perhaps a follower, not a trendsetter, among democratic countries in seeking a new modus vivendi with China.Įqually important, historians of China have flipped the script. 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. 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.Ī pivotal moment in twentieth century diplomatic history, historians and other observers nevertheless continue to debate the visit, its legacies, and some of the myths that have come to surround it. Aside from wining and dining, the two sat down several times to exchange views on a host of international problems – from the Vietnam War to the Soviet Union to the status of Taiwan. 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. They also shook hands with each other, the photograph of which is probably the most famous image to come out of the trip. The US-China rapprochement, symbolized by Nixon’s visit, substantially altered the international balance of power and arguably concluded the Cold War in East Asia.Īlthough Nixon met with Chairman Mao Zedong only once during the visit, the two had a meaningful dialogue on “ philosophic problems” in the US-China relationship. 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. Nixon was the first American president to ever visit mainland China while in office, a now almost routine act undertaken by US heads of state. It was a stunning development in international politics, one that has often been hailed as a “week that changed the world.” Nixon’s visit was not only symbolic it was also substantive. 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. So too did photos of first lady Pat Nixon inspecting a kitchen at a Beijing hotel. The visit was a visual spectacle for the US President, his entourage, and much of the rest of the world, which closely watched the American leader’s travels inside the world's largest communist country.Ī whirlwind tour through three of China’s major cities brought Nixon to several famed historical sites and cultural performances (including a revolutionary ballet), and face-to-face with many senior Chinese leaders. On the morning of February 21, 1972, US President Richard Nixon landed in the People’s Republic of China. Careers, Fellowships, and Internships Open/Close.Wahba Institute for Strategic Competition.Science and Technology Innovation Program.Refugee and Forced Displacement Initiative.The Middle East and North Africa Workforce Development Initiative.Kissinger Institute on China and the United States.Nuclear Proliferation International History Project.North Korea International Documentation Project.Environmental Change and Security Program.Hyundai Motor-Korea Foundation Center for Korean History and Public Policy.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |