History Brief: Nixon Goes to China

This video gives a brief description of Richard Nixon's visit to China.

Teachers, get our Cold War resources book here

*****

Like our Facebook page

Follow us on Instagram

Follow us on Twitter

Check out our TpT store

Check out our website

Copyright Disclaimer Under Section 107 of the Copyright Act 1976, allowance is made for fair use for purposes such as criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching, scholarship, and research. Fair use is a use permitted by copyright statute that might otherwise be infringing. Non-profit, educational, or personal use tips the balance in favor of fair use.

***

Why would a staunch, anti-communist American President visit the world’s most populous communist nation? That’s precisely what happened in early 1972.

President Richard Nixon had long been known for his strong anti-communist stance. He had assisted Senator Joseph McCarthy during the Red Scare era and had been selected as the Vice President in 1952, largely because of his firm anti-communist position. Many Americans also remembered him for standing up to Soviet Premier Khrushchev in 1959, during the famous Kitchen Debate.

So, for many, it seemed unusual when President Nixon decided to make a journey to Communist China. In February of 1972, Nixon traveled to Beijing and became the first American President to visit mainland China while in office.

Nixon met with the aging Chairman Mao Tse Tung who had made China a communist nation in 1949. Nixon also traveled to several different locations, including the Great Wall, Hangzhou, and Shanghai. While President Nixon met with Chinese leaders, the First Lady (Pat Nixon) toured schools, factories, and hospitals.

At the conclusion of the week, the US and China agreed to open trade and other relations between the two nations. President Nixon referred to his week in China as “the week that changed the world” and stated that he hoped it would help end 22 years of hostility between the two nations. The US would eventually establish full diplomatic relations with China in 1979.

The meeting had a profound impact on the Cold War. With Nixon's successful visit to China, he managed to make the world’s most populated nation a potential ally. It effectively placed China and the United States on the same side by souring Soviet relations with the Chinese.

China remains a communist nation to this day, but, thanks to Nixon’s policies, the United States and China are strong economic partners. Since the 1990s, China has held the most favored nation trading status with the United States. In 2011, the US bought more than 1.3 trillion dollars’ worth of goods from Communist China.

In popular culture, this visit has given rise to the expression, “Only Nixon can go to China”. This phrase is typically used when someone (usually a politician) is acting in an uncharacteristic fashion.