No. 1 Richard Nixon - China
Dates: February 21-28, 1972 It took Richard Nixon, who made his name as a staunch anti-Communist, to end over 20 years of isolation by the world's most populous nation, setting the course for China's economic and diplomatic transformation. Nixon's dramatic trip took years of behind-the-scenes negotiations and preparations, culminating in Secretary of State Henry Kissinger's secret journey to China in July 1971, while he was ostensibly visiting Pakistan. Nixon wanted a wedge in pursuit of detente with the Soviet Union, and he found China, whose relationship with the USSR rapidly deteriorating, eager to accommodate. Nixon's duplicity played no small part in the People's Republic's gaining China's seat as a permanent member of the U.N. Security Council in October 1971, as Chiang Kai-shek's representatives were expelled from the U.N. During Nixon's visit, he met Chairman Mao Zedong in Beijing and went on to tour the Great Wall, Hangzhou and Shanghai. He and Chinese premier Zhou Enlai would jointly issue the "Shanghai Communique," laying out the basis for the U.S.-China bilateral relationship. As adhered by future U.S. administrations to this day, the agreement yielded the controversial "One China" policy that left the resolution of the Taiwan question flexible, yet unsettled. Nixon didn't have much time to enjoy the fruits of his labor, as he was ousted two years later by the Watergate scandal. China did eventually open up in 1978, two years after Mao's death. On January 1, 1979, the Carter administration formally established diplomatic ties with the PRC, becoming the last major nation to recognize Beijing as the sole legitimate government of China.
