Richard Nixon's visit to China in 1972
Richard Nixon's visit to the People's Republic of China in 1972 marked a significant step in improving diplomatic relations between the United States and the People's Republic of China . For the first time since it was founded in 1949, a President of the United States visited the People's Republic despite the fact that the United States was one of its fiercest opponents.
The visit and Nixon's contribution to it was literally referred to in English as “ Only Nixon could go to China ”.
visit
Historical background
After the Second World War , the Americans saw that their country's relationship with the Soviet Union deteriorated, communist satellite states were installed in Eastern Europe and China was on the verge of converting to communism. So many Americans became concerned that communists might cause schools and unions to decline. One of the main reasons Richard Nixon became Vice President under President Eisenhower in 1952 was his strong anti-communist stance. Nevertheless, in 1972 it was Nixon who was to be the first US President to visit China.
preparation
In July 1971, Nixon's National Security Advisor Henry Kissinger visited Beijing as part of a trip to Pakistan . He laid the foundation for Nixon's upcoming state visit.
To meet
From February 21 to 28, 1972, Nixon visited the cities of Beijing, Hangzhou and Shanghai . On his arrival in Beijing, he was to meet with the chairman of the Communist Party of China , Mao Zedong invited. US Secretary of State William P. Rogers was excluded from the conversation and only one employee of the United States National Security Council was present - the future US Ambassador to China, Winston Lord . In order not to expose Rogers, Lord has been removed from all official photos of the meeting.
Nixon met Chinese Prime Minister Zhou Enlai several times during the trip , including at the Great Wall of China , in Hangzhou and Shanghai. At the end of the state visit, the United States and the government of the People's Republic signed the so-called Shanghai Communiqué ("Joint Communiqué of the United States of America and the People's Republic of China") - a report on their respective foreign policy views. This document has been the basis for bilateral Sino-American relations for years. Kissinger stated that the US intended to withdraw its armed forces from Taiwan . In the communiqué , both nations promised to work towards normalizing their diplomatic relations.
Results
The United States recognized that all Chinese on both sides of Formosa Street emphasized that there was only one China ( one China policy ). Nixon and the US government reaffirmed their interest in a peaceful settlement of the Taiwan question, which the Chinese also agreed to. The communiqué enabled both parties to temporarily disregard the "cruel issues that hindered the normalization of relations". These mainly related to the political status of Taiwan and the opening of trade and other relationships. Nonetheless, the United States continued its political relations with the Republic of China in Taiwan for several years until they were abandoned in 1979 in favor of full relations with the People's Republic of China.
Nixon commented on the future importance of the visit for the two countries as follows:
“This was the week that changed the world, as what we have said in that Communique is not nearly as important as what we will do in the years ahead to build a bridge across 16,000 miles and 22 years of hostilities which have divided us in the past. "
“That was the week that changed the world; what we agreed in the communiqué is nowhere near as important as what we will do in the coming years: building a bridge 16,000 miles away and 22 years of enmity that divided us in the past. "
Improving political relations with the Soviet Union and the People's Republic of China are often cited in English-language literature as one of the most successful diplomatic achievements of Nixon's presidency.
Richard Nixon wrote several books about his international activities and successes. The last thing after the end of his political career is Beyond Peace . It deals with the United States' plight to win the international competition against the communist countries before they collapse.
reception
The journalist Max Frankel of the newspaper The New York Times received the " Pulitzer Prize for international reporting " for his report about the event.
The visit was the inspiration for John Adams ' opera Nixon in China (1987).
See also
literature
- Burr, William (1999): The Kissinger Transcripts , New Press
- Ladley, Eric (2002): Nixon's China Trip , Writer's Club Press; (2007) Balancing Act: How Nixon Went to China and Remained a Conservative.
- MacMillan, Margaret (2007): Nixon & Mao: The Week that Changed the World , Random House
- Mann, James (1999): About Face , Knopf
- Nixon, Richard (1978): RN: The Memoirs of Richard Nixon , Grosset & Dunlap
- Tyler, Patrick (1999): A Great Wall , Public Affairs
- Robert Dallek : Nixon and Kissinger: partners in power . HarperCollins , New York 2007, ISBN 0060722304 .
- Elizabeth Drew : Richard M. Nixon . Times Books , New York 2007, ISBN 0805069631 .
- Kadaré, Ismail (1989): The Concert
Web links
- Nixon in China: Webcast on the side of the Defense Ministry (English)
- Interactive website about Nixon's visit to China in 1972 (English)
Individual evidence
- ↑ Stephen E. Ambrose. Nixon, the triumph of a politician 1962-1972 (New York, NY: Simon and Schuster, 1989): 439.
- ↑ Nixon's way to Beijing - a dead end? , Article of July 26, 1971 on Spiegel Online .
- ^ Kissinger Years of Upheaval, p. 65.
- ↑ a b http://www.upi.com/Audio/Year_in_Review/Events-of-1972/1972-Election/12305688736666-2/#title "Nixon Goes to China". Accessed April 15, 2009. Archived ( Memento May 5, 2009 on WebCite ) on May 5, 2009.
- ↑ In the original "crucial question obstructing the normalization of relations" Nixon's China's Visit and "Sino-US Joint Communiqué"
- ↑ Joan Hoff. Nixon reconsidered (New York, NY: BasicBooks, 1994): 182.