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.
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