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Ping Pong Diplomacy: Nixon’s Trip to China

President Nixon’s trip to China in 1972 ended twenty-five years of isolation between the United States and the People’s Republic of China (PRC) and resulted in establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries in 1979.

The Game Begins: Ping Pong Diplomacy

In 1949, Chinese communists, led by Mao Tse-tung, won a long civil war they had fought with Chinese nationalists, led by Chiang Kai-shek. The Chinese communists created the People’s Republic of China (PRC), thus breaking diplomatic relations between the PRC and the United States, which recognized the non-communist government of Taiwan.

Early in his presidency, Nixon encouraged the US ambassador to Poland, Walter Stoessel, to approach the Chinese and to tell them that the United States was interested in opening a dialogue. Another step Nixon took in 1969 was to communicate with the PRC through Pakistan’s President Agha Mohammad Yahya Khan. These diplomatic feelers continued into 1971.

It was a cultural exchange, however, that introduced what became known as “ping-pong diplomacy.” While in Japan as part of a world tour, members of the US team and its Chinese counterpart exchanged informal greetings and small gifts. As a result, the PRC team invited the US table tennis team to visit China. They went to China in April 1971, and afterwards, the president of the US Table Tennis Association, Graham Steenhoven, met with President Nixon to report on the visit.

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The Announcement that Surprised the World

On July 15, 1971, President Nixon announced to the nation that the PRC had invited him to visit China, and he had accepted. He also stated that Henry Kissinger, Assistant for National Security Affairs, had made a secret trip to Peking in order to plan for the visit. His announcement resulted in strong public reactions for and against the President’s planned trip.

President Nixon viewed his trip as the first step in a long process of contact between the United States and the PRC and as part of his triangular diplomacy--an effort to improve relations and reduce conflict between the United States, the PRC, and the Soviet Union. He did not expect the restoration of full diplomatic relations with the PRC to result from this trip. A major hurdle was US support for the non-communist Taiwanese government.

The President’s trip to China required a tremendous amount of planning. Part of this effort involved matters of protocol and etiquette, such as the use of chopsticks.

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Wheels Down: Nixon in China

From February 17-28, 1972, President Nixon visited the PRC and traveled to Peking, Hangchow, and Shanghai. When he first arrived in Peking, President Nixon shook Prime Minister Chou En-lai’s hand, a symbolic gesture that President Nixon understood was important to the Chinese. In 1954, Secretary of State John Foster Dulles had refused to shake Chou’s hand while at the Geneva Conference.

After landing in Peking, President Nixon participated in ceremonial arrival activities, including reviewing Chinese troops.

On February 21, President Nixon met with Chairman Mao Tse-tung. In this meeting, he stressed to Mao that his (the President’s) actions and words were reliable and serious-minded. He also told Mao that he knew the world had changed since the early years of the Cold War and wanted to assure Mao that the United States had no territorial designs on China.

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Diplomacy and Ceremony

In the PRC, President Nixon attended numerous ceremonial functions, including attending banquets, the ballet, and sports performances. He and his wife, Pat, also toured the Great Wall.

In a warm, welcoming toast at the first State dinner, Prime Minister Chou En-lai stated that despite their ideological differences, normalized relations could be established between the United States and the PRC. He did not refer to Taiwan, an area of sensitivity, in this toast.

At the conclusion of the President’s trip, the United States and the PRC issued the Shanghai Communique, which included a pledge to work toward the establishment of full normalization of diplomatic relations. In the Communique, the United States acknowledged the PRC’s position that there was only one China and that Taiwan was a part of China. Over the years, Taiwan’s status had been the main obstacle in improving relations between the United States and the PRC, and this statement was an important step in defining the future relationship between the two countries.

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Effects of the President’s Trip to China

As a result of his trip, President Nixon noted that the United States and the PRC had a common interest in continuing the process of achieving normalized relations. President Nixon said this process of “getting to know each other better” would reduce the chances for conflict and promote peace in the future despite their differences in beliefs.

Another result of the President’s trip was the exchange of State gifts. The United States gave the PRC a pair of musk oxen, and the PRC gave the United States a pair of giant pandas. The pandas arrived to the United States in April 1972 and were housed at the National Zoo in Washington, D.C., instantly becoming the star attraction and a symbol of US-PRC relations.

After President Nixon’s trip, relations between the two countries continued to develop. For example, the Chinese table tennis team came to the United States in the spring of 1972. In 1973, both countries established liaison offices as a step to building formal diplomatic relations. And in 1979, the United States established diplomatic relations with the PRC.

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