Chapter 20 16. Mao's Foreign Policy and Nixon's First Visit to Beijing

In 1971, Beijing was in the middle of a confrontation between two great powers, and so were we.China led by the Communist Party is a nuclear power just like the Soviet Union and the United States.Tensioned Sino-Soviet relations needed to be balanced by a strong United States.From the perspective of the United States and Japan, China is a major country in the Western Pacific region, attaches great importance to Taiwan's status, and is concerned about the development of oil resources on the continental shelf north of Taiwan, Japan's disarmament and trade with Japan, and similar issues related to Japan and the United States.

All of this has pushed Beijing to play a bigger role internationally, to engage with the United States, to join the United Nations, but Beijing has done it with great difficulty. In the 1950s, China under the leadership of the Communist Party developed under the umbrella of the Sino-Soviet alliance, and later Maoism became increasingly nationalist and radical, and tried to achieve industrialization immediately through the Great Leap Forward in 1958.At this time, a crack appeared in the Sino-Soviet alliance. In the early 1960s, the Sino-Soviet rift widened with the fierce debate between the two sides.Beijing decided to lead the world communist movement alone.China supports the "national liberation" movements of countries all over the world, especially Asian and African countries, sending cultural groups to them, holding exhibitions, and providing military assistance and consultants. In September 1965, Mao's successor Lin Biao systematically expounded Mao's theory of trying to stand in the position of the third world and opposing the two superpower blocs in his speech "On the People's War of Liberation".Marshal Lin Biao promoted the experience of the Chinese revolution to the world, and believed that the model of the Chinese revolution could be applied to underdeveloped countries and regions accounting for 2/3 of the population to fight against industrialized imperialist powers.

The successful experience of the Chinese revolution is "encircling the cities from the countryside", but China has not given written instructions on how to implement this strategy in various parts of the world.China maintains that the people's revolution must be independent, which means that China can guide the way and provide assistance, but the people of all countries must unite to strive for the victory of the world revolution.This is not Hitler's expansionary aggression, it reminds people of the ancient Chinese vassal state and Beijing's subsidiary relationship - China is the model of all countries, and all countries voluntarily follow and be led by China.China put forward this revolutionary proposition of "self-reliance" for the people's revolutions of all countries when its diplomatic relations were at a low ebb. In February 1965, the United States began bombing North Vietnam.Although the United States promised not to invade the territory of North Vietnam at the southern gate of China, in fact the People's Republic had to endure humiliation because it could not protect its neighbor, which had always been a satellite state of China.

China has been trying to organize an Asian and African conference other than the Soviet Union. In June 1965, the effort failed.Then, in October, an aborted coup by the Indonesian Communist Party resulted in the killing of a large number of pro-Beijing Communist Party members.In short, China's attempts to lead the world revolution in 1965 were repeatedly frustrated.All this turned China to domestic affairs and began to focus on launching Chairman Mao's Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution from 1966 to 1969. When the Cultural Revolution finally ended with a whimper, it brought the economy to a standstill.Mr. Mao smashed the government bureaucracy, resurrected the revolution, and injected new blood into politics.But in the end, it was the army leadership who calmed down the situation, and the army controlled and managed the whole country. In April 1969, the Ninth Party Congress finally confirmed that China's economy was at a standstill, and decided to focus on economic construction again, and resend those recalled ambassadors abroad.Beijing first led the Third World on its own, and then cut off contact with the outside world for a while, before returning to world politics.We have no reason to think that Beijing's orchestrated people-to-people diplomacy will jettison the usual schemes of subversion and tough bargaining.Many Americans were eager to emerge from the quagmire of the Vietnam War; the Nixon administration was well prepared for engagement with Beijing.All this shows that the time has come for China to open up to the outside world.Nixon's visit to China was only the beginning.

In February 1972, Nixon visited Beijing.Let us observe Nixon's visit to China historically from the perspective of China.It is an old habit in China to exchange visits between heads of state.Beijing has been the capital for nearly 1,000 years, and foreign monarchs or envoys visit almost every year, just like the winter solstice and autumnal equinox.Of course, these visiting foreign monarchs and envoys have their own purposes, most of them come to offer gifts in order to gain benefits in trade, some come to seek the recognition of their country's legalization, and some come to ask for military assistance, there is very little noise Come to collect debts.

Some monarchs came reluctantly, such as the king of the Manlaka Kingdom in the early 15th century.Still others appeared in Beijing as conquerors, such as Genghis Khan in 1215, and Emperor Shunzhi of the Qing Dynasty in 1644.But no matter what, the trip to Beijing is always full of special charm and an unforgettable sense of mystery.Of course, Mr. Nixon and his entourage did not know so much, and they embarked on a journey that their predecessors have traveled many times. No one asked Nixon to bow three times and knock down nine times. In 1793, Lord McTerney refused to perform this salute (although Nixon was much thinner than Lord McTerney, and it was more convenient to kowtow).Mao's revolution had been devoted to eradicating old customs that were incompatible with modern life, but Chinese egoism and pride in being self-sufficient in a country as large as China was not easily eliminated.In fact, part of the charm of a visit to Beijing is that it remains the center of another world that doesn't care about the Dow Jones, the hem of a skirt, the annual championship baseball game or the next presidential election.Anyone who lives here for a long time will find themselves assimilated and gradually adapted to the things of another world, while also accepting the values ​​​​of a different way of life (such as not promoting individualism) .Mr. Nixon did not stay in Beijing for a long time, and he did not feel the impact of cultural differences or being sinicized, but he was deeply touched by the pragmatic views of the Chinese.Despite its prerequisites, this view is sensible.It has a deep understanding of human nature, emphasizes self-discipline, and is willing to subordinate short-term interests to long-term interests.This is exactly the method necessary to manage the tribal leaders who are eager to return home and make their ancestors shine.Recent events, of course, have had an impact.U.S. troops in Vietnam complete their peaceful retreat from Saigon to San Francisco.Mr. Nixon's peaceful trip from Washington to Beijing was undoubtedly a success.

But revolutionary China lives in the shadow of history like us.The American press and judiciary are still citing the Human Rights Declaration from the late Qianlong period. Similarly, when Zhou Enlai received foreign visitors, he followed the principles that were customary in China in the past.Foreign visitors are guests of the state and must observe certain etiquette like other guests: you cannot point your finger at the chairman's nose during an argument.This is different from the debate between Nixon and Chairman Khrushchev when he was vice president, dignity is better than opinion. Just as a person's words and deeds reflect his character, so the state's protocol reflects the state's social order.Whether Nixon's China visit established the relationship between China and the United States, or was overshadowed by a kind of "people's diplomacy", this visit did emphasize his personal desire for peace.His visit to China came with a mission, and his promise must be fulfilled.

Such a visit would of course require adequate preparation and negotiation in advance.When the Qing empire did business with Taft's America, Western dignitaries in Beijing found to their dismay that many words were translated into Chinese out of shape. "Personal freedom" (Liberty) is translated as "privilege" (License).Even today, what do "Seif-detemaination" and "Sovereignty" mean in Chinese?How are the two related? Russian ambassadors in the 17th century had long debated kowtowing because it directly affected basic state institutions.China's current state system is quite different. It is indeed a new system, but it is not yet perfect and is still developing.Its main component "Mao Zedong Thought" leaves room for "American capitalist imperialism", but the honor cannot be given to the guest.

It can be said that for an American president, the journey to visit Beijing is the longest, and the more preparations the better. Part of this article was published in the "New York Times" on April 18, 1971, entitled "China's Opening Time Is Ripe"; the rest was published in the "Washington Post" on July 19, 1971, entitled "China Old Customs: A Beijing That Accepted a Thousand-Year-Old Emperor.