In the early 70s of the last century, Sino-US relations were in a period of breaking the ice.
Nixon's first priority after taking office was his visit to China, but the two sides had long been hostile, and there was also the shadow of the Korean War.
For this reason, Nixon made full preparations before his visit to China, one of which was to let General Haig of the United States take the lead in visiting China.
However, Haig angered the chairman in his conversation with ***.
In 1972, Nixon announced his plan to visit China, and before that, General Haig of the United States was the first to visit China to prepare for Nixon's arrival.
Haig graduated from the prestigious West Point Military Academy in the United States, which produced the youngest principal ever MacArthur.
During World War II, Haig helped Chiang Sr. with his counsel, and he, like many Americans at the time, saw it as a tool for China.
At that time, the Cold War between the United States and the Soviet Union was in a white-hot stage, coupled with the deterioration of Sino-Soviet relations, so most of the American political leaders at that time regarded China as a tool to counterbalance the Soviet Union.
However, China in the 70s was not what it used to be, and it was gradually coming to the fore.
It's ridiculous to think of China as a tool.
Although Haig was on par with Kissinger by Washington standards at the time, he was far inferior to the latter in terms of politics and diplomacy.
Haig was conceited, arrogant, and lacked political experience.
He is okay with some simple matters, but when things are complicated, his ability is insufficient.
Nixon also originally wanted to use China as a bargaining chip to counterbalance the Soviet Union, so Kissinger had expressed this intention to *** during his first two visits to China.
However, the downplay of the American idea made it impossible for Kissinger to continue the discussion on the matter.
Kissinger has always been diplomatically well-handled, so he has always been humble and courteous on this issue, and after being rejected by ***, he wisely chose not to mention it again.
Haig, however, is a very different person, not only as brutal as a stunned young man, but also with a tough attitude.
After the meeting with ***, US Deputy Haig unequivocally claimed that he had conveyed a verbal message on behalf of ***.
Then, Haig straightened up and triumphantly declared: The United States will do its best to weaken the Soviet threat to China in order to safeguard China's independence and autonomy.
All in all, Haig meant that the United States would be the savior of China.
For China, it is an incomparably privileged to be rescued by the United States.
Hearing these arrogant words, **'s brows furrowed.
** Knows the character of the chairman well and knows that the chairman never pays attention to these superficial words.
The chairman and *** have always been only concerned with defending China's sovereignty and territorial integrity.
Otherwise, the chairman would not have accepted Khrushchev's proposal in those years!At that time, Khrushchev's attitude was the same as that of Haig, but it was not the Soviet Union that threatened China at that time, but the United States.
Perhaps in their opinion, China really seems "weak", why did the United States and the Soviet Union want to "save" China?Sure enough, the next day, ** reported to the chairman on the conversation with Haig.
After listening to the report, the chairman was furious.
The USSR was a threat to China?Do you want him to save us?Back on, even if Nixon doesn't come, it's not that bad.
It's been 22 years since we had diplomatic relations, so I don't necessarily have to do it this time!The chairman said.
If Nixon doesn't come, someone else will come, it doesn't matter!The Chair added excitedly.
China can not establish diplomatic relations with the United States, but China can no longer lower its stature!China's sovereignty is definitely not a tradable bargaining chip!Subsequently, **, on behalf of the Chinese Politburo, conveyed China's response to Haig.
**Firmly stated: neither China nor other countries can rely on external forces to safeguard the country's sovereignty and survival!Otherwise, they are doomed to become only vassals and colonies of powerful countries!Haig listened to Mr. Zhou.
After Li's words, he also realized his mistake, and he realized that if he continued like this, he would not be able to complete the task given to him, and it would even backfire.
As a result, Haig had to apologize to ***, admitting that he failed to realize the possible implications of his words.
Upon learning of this, Nixon decided to immediately make arrangements for his visit to China.
In February 1972, the Nixons arrived in China from across the ocean.
As soon as he stepped off the plane, Nixon was struck by what he saw.
Nixon received a grand welcome, and China formed a guard of honor of 300 men to greet him at the airport.
This kind of grand welcome was unprecedented for Nixon, who was the first of the United States.
Nixon was actually very nervous before his visit to China, because there had been no diplomatic contact between the two countries for a long time.
Coupled with China's long-standing hostility towards Western countries, coupled with the previous Haig incident, Nixon's trip can be described as tense and distrustful.
However, he breathed a sigh of relief when he saw the Chinese guard of honor.
He felt the warm welcome from China and walked towards *** with a smile
When the two of them clasped hands tightly, ** smiled and said, "Your hand reached out from the widest ocean in the world to shake my hand!".At this moment, the chairman immediately asked the secretary to tell *** Nixon to arrive.
After that, I met him directly.
It is very rare for a foreign guest to receive him immediately after a visit to China.
The Chairman hoped that by such a move he would express his sincerity towards Nixon.
Looking out the window from the car, Nixon wanted to enjoy the view of this great country in the East.
At this time, a propaganda poster attracted Nixon's attention, showing a group of Chinese holding guns and aiming at the United States.
Although Nixon did not understand Chinese, he roughly understood its meaning after seeing the picture.
After receiving the interpreter's explanation, Nixon's face sank.
However, he didn't show it on the spot, because he wanted to learn about the situation from *** in person.
After a brief exchange of pleasantries with the chairman, Nixon got straight to the point and asked about the meaning of the street slogan.
The Chairman did not panic at all.
The atmosphere in the entire conference room froze for a while, after all, this issue is directly related to the friendly relations between the two countries.
The chairman smiled and replied, "Is it just an empty slogan?"
Don't you clamore all day long for the defeat of communism?Just say you don't do it!Hearing the chairman's answer, Nixon also smiled, and the atmosphere in the conference room eased in an instant.
At the end of the dialogue between the President and Nixon, the two sides signed the "Sino-US Joint Communique," marking the beginning of the formal establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries.
In 1979, China and the United States formally established diplomatic relations.
This is a huge shift for China, the United States, and the whole world!