"Dear Mr. President, we noticed that there is on the wall of the hotel'Down with US imperialism'What is the reason for this?In the first meeting between the leaders of China and the United States after 23 years of frozen relations, Nixon raised the issue.
A few hours earlier, he had stumbled upon a painting hanging in a corner of the hotel with the words "Down with US imperialism" written underneath. He inquired with the interpreter and learned about it.
Nixon was very puzzled by this, so in a meeting with ***, he asked the question.
After Nixon's question, there was an awkward silence and the atmosphere became somewhat tense. However, ** was calm, elegantly picked up the cup, brought it to his mouth, blew it gently, and then smiled and said three words.
Nixon burst out laughing at this move, and everyone was impressed by ***'s wit and humor, and a possible diplomatic crisis was resolved in an instant. So, what exactly did ** say?
How did the leaders of China and the United States achieve this historic meeting under international pressure?What interesting anecdotes happened during the visit?
On February 21, 1972, a military plane slowly landed at the Capital International Airport in a cold wind. The hatch opened, and a foreigner stepped down the gangway, and he hurried forward, holding the hand of the old man in the cold wind.
Your hand has crossed the world's widest ocean to shake my hand. The old man humorously said that his coat could not hide his thinness, but he was still in good spirits.
The photographer pressed the shutter to record this historic moment. This foreign man is Nixon**, and the old man next to him is *** Prime Minister.
When their hands finally clasp hands again, a piece of history is over, and a new chapter is slowly opening. This grip spanned more than 20 years and witnessed the ups and downs of the Cold War between the United States and the Soviet Union.
In 1949, the Communist Party led by ** established New China after defeating Chiang Kai-shek's army supported by the United States. However, this newly-born socialist country was feared and threatened by the capitalist countries headed by the United States, who refused to recognize the status of the new China and even tried in vain to strangle this newborn socialist country.
Since then, China and the United States have been engaged in a long confrontation. At the same time, China's relations with the Soviet Union, the big brother of socialism, have experienced ups and downs. After Stalin's death, Khrushchev came to power, he pursued "revisionism", and China and the Soviet Union had differences on a number of issues.
These differences gradually deepened after the incident of "long-wave radio" and "combined fleet", and the former brothers gradually drifted apart. The outbreak of the "Zhenbao Island Incident" in 1969 brought the relationship between the two countries to a freezing point.
However, the passage of time and the course of history finally made the two countries shake hands again, which not only announced the end of one era, but also heralded the beginning of another.
When the United States was plagued by the Vietnam War, Nixon was desperate to find a way out, hoping to break the passive strategic posture in Southeast Asia. The biggest threat to both China and the United States was directed at the Soviet Union, so "joining forces with Wu to resist Cao" became a possible strategy.
However, breaking this impasse will not be easy and will require cautious testing on both sides. China closely followed Nixon's dynamics, and Nixon, in an interview with Time magazine, revealed his lifelong desire to go to China and try to use Pakistan's Yahya Khan as a bridge to China.
During Romania's visit to the United States, Nixon sent another thought-provoking diplomatic signal. When talking about China, he surprisingly officially used the title "People's Republic of China" for the first time, instead of the "Communist China" that was previously commonly used in the United States.
In addition, he delivered a message that it is possible to exchange visits between high-ranking personal representatives, even if it is not possible to establish ideal diplomatic relations with China.
Expressing welcome to the Taiwan issue through an intermediary shows China's diplomatic attitude of "courtesy and exchange". In 1970, ** made an exception to receive the American Edgar **, an old friend of the Chinese, at the Tianmen Ancheng Tower.
Despite the friendly attitude shown by the two sides, under the tense international situation at that time, further exchanges did not reach the right time, and the two sides were still waiting for a good opportunity.
Soon, this opportunity came quietly!
On March 28, 1971, the Chinese table tennis team made a stunning appearance at the 31st World Table Tennis Championships. Despite the threat of assassination by Japanese right-wingers, they resolutely participated in the competition.
Originally, my country did not plan to participate in the competition, but a sentence from the chairman changed this decision: "We are not afraid of hardship, we are not afraid of death, we want to show a new style of new China."
Grandpa Mao's move has brought unexpected opportunities. As a highly skilled table tennis team, the Chinese delegation received a warm welcome in the United States.
The head of the US delegation even took the initiative to come to greet him, and even said half-jokingly and half-seriously: "I heard that you have invited five teams to visit China, but I don't know when you will invite us."
This sentence seems to be a joke, but it seems to contain "off-string sounds". Before the Chinese team could reply, another sensational thing happened.
An American athlete mistakenly boarded the bus of the Chinese team, and the American boy stood at the door of the bus at a loss, bowing his head and saying nothing. In the face of this uninvited guest from the "US imperialists", the Chinese team members did not talk to each other, and an awkward atmosphere filled the carriage.
When he was about to arrive at the station, a Chinese team member walked over with an interpreter and took the initiative to talk to the guy, he was the three-time world champion Zhuang Zedong. Seeing the idol, the American guy named Cohen was very excited, and Zhuang Zedong also gave this "little fan brother" a piece of Hangzhou brocade as a gift, and this scene was filmed by the accompanying Japanese reporter.
The big villains in the sports world of China and the United States are talking and laughing together!This shocking news instantly detonated the news hotspot, and the U.S. table tennis team even offered to visit China.
Soon after, the report was sent to ***'s desk. At that time, the relevant departments of Zhongnanhai advised to wait, because the United States has not shown enough sincerity on the Taiwan issue, and there are some complicated entanglements on the Laos and Cambodia issues.
**After careful consideration, it was decided to reject the application for a visit to the United States. However, that very night, he changed his mind.
Count!Go ahead and do it!On April 10, 1971, the U.S. table tennis delegation visited China as wished, and was personally received. On the same day, Nixon announced the lifting of the ** ban on China for more than 20 years and the relaxation of controls on Chinese currency and shipping.
"Ping-pong diplomacy" is like a small ball, but it can push the gap between China and the United States for more than 20 years, and will bring more unexpected miracles in the future.
Three months later, a high-level banquet was held in Islamabad, the capital of Pakistan, where Yahya Khan hosted his friend, US Secretary of State Henry Kissinger. Suddenly, Kissinger covered his abdomen with a painful expression: "I'm sorry, I don't feel well."
Mr. Kissinger needs to rest, don't disturb him for the past two days, it's too hot in Islamabad, send him to my villa in the north of the mountain!Yahya Khan commanded loudly.
After hesitating for a moment, Kissinger accepted **'s kindness, withdrew from the banquet early, and returned to the hotel to rest. Reporters rushed to film the event, but they didn't know that it was actually an elaborate drama.
According to the itinerary announced by the White House, Kissinger will visit four places in South Asia for 10 days, and will stay in Pakistan for 48 hours at his last stop.
However, these 48 hours are not reserved for Pakistan, but for China. In the early hours of the next morning, Kissinger put on a big-brimmed hat and sunglasses, cleverly avoided the eyes of reporters, boarded a Boeing plane, and flew to Beijing to carry out a covert operation codenamed "Polo."
There, he had a secret conversation with *** and others for 17 hours.
Meanwhile, across the ocean, in the United States, Nixon was nervously waiting for a ** in his office. On July 11, ** finally rang, and the staff told him that he had received a telegram from Kissinger.
What was said on telegram?"He couldn't wait to ask. "eureka!"Nixon laughed, a code word of success that he had agreed with Kissinger beforehand.
The content of Kissinger's secret talks with China was related to whether Nixon would be able to make a successful visit to China. At that time, both in the United States and in the international community, countless pairs of eyes were watching every move of China and the United States, and until the relationship between the two sides became clear, high-level contacts between China and the United States must be cautious.
There is no doubt that Kissinger has cleared the obstacles in Nixon's visit to China, and he is about to embark on a journey across the ages.
On February 21, 1972, China welcomed Nixon and his wife with an unprecedented 360 honor guards of the three services, the largest reception in China's history of foreign leaders, with a maximum of 155 in the past.
Nixon was deeply moved, but unfortunately, due to the negligence of our staff, there was still a slogan in the corner of the wall with the slogan "Down with US imperialism", which made Nixon a little displeased.
He wanted to be asked in person, and it just so happened that *** was going to meet him that afternoon. As soon as they met, the two shook hands tightly and let go after more than a minute.
Nixon asked a question in the conversation that made him haunted: "Air cannons!."However, ** laughed after hearing this, and then explained in a relaxed and happy tone: "You see that Chiang Kai-shek shouts every day to suppress the Communist Party, and you also shout every day to destroy socialism, aren't we the same?".
Shouting slogans every day, but only hearing their voices, do you think it is an empty cannon?Nixon's humorous reply drew laughter and the atmosphere became lighthearted. **Congratulations on Nixon's election**, and said with a hearty smile: "I voted for you during the election, and we don't like your predecessors very much**, like Truman and Johnson, they didn't think ...... the Sino-US issue."His remarks gave him hope that Nixon would improve relations between the two countries.
Nixon was surprised to find that ** also mentioned a book: "I read your Six Crises and it was very well written!."Nixon shook his head with a smile, then complimented the man next to him, "He's read so much!"
Nixon was impressed by his witty humor and erudition, and the two had a pleasant conversation, and the planned 15-minute meeting lasted 65 minutes.
In fact, before the meeting, ** had been in shock twice due to a high fever, and during the entire meeting, the medical staff stayed in the adjacent room, ready to respond to emergencies.
Despite his poor physical condition, for the sake of the country and people he loves, he still persists and does not want to miss this hard-won historical moment between China and the United States.
After the end of the meeting with ***, Nixon seemed to be unsatisfied, and after a short break, he began to have an in-depth exchange with ***. In the interaction with ***, Nixon felt as warm as a spring breeze.
At the state dinner held in the evening, Nixon was surprised to find that there were many hometown dishes that he liked, and these dishes were carefully arranged for him by *** himself.
After giving a toast to Nixon, two familiar melodies rang out, and Nixon was deeply moved, one was "Beautiful America," which he carefully selected for his inauguration, and the other was his favorite childhood song, "Home on the Ranch."
** Smiling, he raised his glass: "I wish you all the best in your next appointment!"."Thank you!Nixon replied in Chinese.
Nixon amazed Americans by skillfully picking up vegetables with chopsticks at the table. It turned out that in order to better adapt to the local culture, he secretly practiced Xi at home a week in advance and learned some basic Chinese.
Nixon's wisdom and enthusiasm were an eye-opener. At a banquet, Nixon was shown the charm of Moutai. He poured Moutai into a small dish and struck a match, and the flame rose instantly, and Nixon exclaimed, "This is amazing!".
After Nixon returned home, he also showed the tricks he learned from his "master", but unfortunately made a small mistake and almost "burned the White House". This incident has sparked heated discussions in the United States.
Nixon was deeply grateful for ***'s thoughtfulness and concern, and he also praised ***'s unparalleled character in his memoirs. Regarding the outcry from the outside world over the news that "Nixon personally took off his coat for ***", Nixon himself said that this was just his spontaneous behavior out of admiration for ***'s personality charm.
Nixon's one-week visit to China marked a historic turn in the world. Through in-depth exchanges, the visionary leaders of China and the United States reached a consensus and jointly issued the China-US Joint Communique.
This communiqué spans 160,000 miles has become a bridge of communication between China and the United States, opening a new chapter in Sino-US diplomacy, and China and the United States officially established diplomatic relations seven years later.
In 1976, Nixon visited China again, but this time as a civilian, because he had stepped down from his position due to the impact of the Watergate scandal.
In this journey, what moved him immensely was that he still received a first-class honorable reception;At the same time, he regretted that he could no longer be with his old friends, because at this time, ** had left us.
** once said: "Those who take the initiative to reach out may not see success." When the flowers bloom, he may disappear." However, we will never forget those who, with their wisdom and foresight, made great contributions to the normalization of Sino-US relations!