Before his death, Nixon regretted the establishment of diplomatic relations with China, fearing that it would cause a scientific disaster
On February 21, 1972, Nixon** visited China, and this historic moment, like the echo of time, was remembered in the chapter of mankind. As soon as the plane landed, Nixon quickly walked towards the prime minister, and the two shook hands tightly.
** sighed: "Your hand crossed the Pacific Ocean, and we haven't been in touch for 25 years. "From that moment on, China and the United States officially established diplomatic relations, and this major event shook the world.
In the public's impression, Nixon took the initiative to establish diplomatic relations to show his friendly attitude toward China. However, it was not until 1994 that Nixon, when he was dying, recalled the ups and downs of his life, mentioned the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and the United States again, and could not help but sigh: "I may have created a scientific monster." ”
1.Why was Nixon so frustrated by the Vietnam War? And why has there been a change in the attitude toward the United States' all-round anti-China attitude? All this is closely related to Vietnam's geographical location and the strategic goals of the United States.
Vietnam is bordered by China in the north and Southeast Asia in the south, and if the United States invades Vietnam, it will be able to strengthen its influence in East Asia. At the same time, the United States implemented an anti-Chinese policy, prompting the Vietnam War to be launched on November 1, 1955.
2.The United States thought that Vietnam was just a small country, backward, and could be easily defeated. But in fact, this war lasted for more than ten years, and the United States was deeply trapped in it and could not get out.
However, while the United States was mired in the Vietnam War, the Soviet Union took the opportunity to rapidly develop itself, developing atomic and hydrogen bombs, breaking the nuclear monopoly of the United States and shaking its position as the sole world leader.
At this time, the United States realized that it had to confront the Soviet Union, and a pattern of US-Soviet hegemony was formed.
In the 50s of the 20th century, the struggle for hegemony between the United States and the Soviet Union triggered the Cold War. This confrontation is not only a duel between two countries, but also a confrontation between the two camps.
On one side are the capitalist countries led by the United States, and on the other side are the socialist countries led by the Soviet Union. In the confrontation between the United States and the USSR, the United States found that the USSR was gradually surpassing itself in all respects, and that it was in a weak position.
At this time, the United States found that there was a contradiction between China and the Soviet Union, and that China was right next to the Soviet Union. The United States is well aware of the truth that "the enemy of the enemy is a friend", so it decided to turn the situation around with the help of China.
It all started in 1953, when Stalin died of illness and Khrushchev came to power. Unlike Stalin, Khrushchev's course of reform was much more radical. For China, Khrushchev's rise to power brought some benefits, such as more sincere assistance to help China build a complete industrial system, as well as technical assistance in the development of the atomic bomb.
However, Khrushchev's coming to power also brought some disadvantages, as his reform course could also bring some destabilizing elements.
During the Cold War between the United States and the Soviet Union, the Soviet Union, due to geographical reasons, became interested in China's access to the sea in the temperate and tropical zones. They may have thought that if a military base could be established here, it would be equivalent to setting up a cannon on the doorstep of the Soviet Union, ready to threaten the Soviet Union at any time.
However, the friendly relations between our country and the Soviet Union do not justify the establishment of military bases in our country. Our independent government has been achieved through the sacrifice of thousands of soldiers, and we will never accept the stationing of troops on our own territory.
** The resolute refusal made the Soviet Union dissatisfied with our country, and the cooperative relationship between the two began to deteriorate. Soon after, the USSR demanded that all specialists and technicians return home and threatened that we would use nuclear **.
In China's history, relations with Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev have been very tense. Especially after the Soviet invasion of Czechoslovakia in 1968, China became more anxious about the Soviet threat.
As a result, China began to call the Soviet Union social-imperialist and considered it a greater threat than the United States. This tension led to a constant conflict on the Sino-Soviet border, and even a self-defense counterattack on Zhenbao Island broke out in March 1969.
Against this background, Nixon** immediately announced the end of the Vietnam War after coming to power, and intended to use the Sino-Soviet contradictions to create a favorable environment for China. On February 1, 1969, Nixon made the friendly remark of "Don't Isolate China" in his swearing-in diplomatic speech.
On October 1, 1970, in order to confront the Soviet Union, China decided to try to unite with the United States, sending a signal of reconciliation. Invite the famous American journalist Edgar ** to visit China and send a friendly message to Nixon through him.
After returning to China, Edgar ** wrote an article about what he saw and heard in China, which was published in the weekly Life magazine, suggesting that China was willing to improve relations with the United States.
The article attracted a lot of attention in American politics.
They hope to break the deadlock between China and the United States by inviting the American table tennis team to visit China, and to normalize Sino-US relations with the strategy of "small ball pushing big ball".
This suggestion was brought to the attention of Nixon, who in 1971 appointed Kissinger to secretly fly to Beijing to negotiate in order to ensure the success of the negotiations.
Through the joint efforts of China and the United States, the talks between China and Kissinger were successful, laying a solid foundation for the normalization of Sino-US relations. On February 21, 1972, Nixon finally embarked on an ice-breaking trip to China, and said in talks with *** that the United States would recognize Taiwan as part of China and would not support Taiwan**.
On February 28, 1972, Nixon made a historic visit to China, and China and the United States jointly signed the Sino-US Joint Communiqué (i.e"Shanghai Communiqué"）。In this communiqué, the United States officially recognized that there is only one China and that Taiwan is an integral part of it, and promised to withdraw all US forces from the vicinity of Taiwan.
Nixon's visit to China broke the long-standing hostile policy of the United States toward New China, marked the establishment of an alliance between China and the United States to jointly defend against the Soviet Union, and also promoted the elevation of China's status in the international community.
Since then, many countries have chosen to establish diplomatic relations with our country. During his visit to China, Nixon promised that if re-elected, he would normalize relations between China and the United States during his second term.
However, his antipathy towards China did not change, and after his visit to China, he began to actively seek a détente with the Soviet Union. During his second term, he was busy reaching an agreement with the Soviet Union on the use of nuclear weapons, which brought the United States and the Soviet Union into a new phase of détente, causing concern among the leaders of our country, fearing that they would join forces against our country.
In 1976, China's leaders and other national leaders passed away one after another, and Ford in the United States also faced a new one. At this time, both countries turned their attention to domestic politics, and the process of establishing diplomatic relations between China and the United States was temporarily stalled.
The establishment of diplomatic relations between China and the United States has paved the way for comprehensive exchanges between the East and the West, and is a major milestone in China's relations with the West. People tend to focus only on the fact that Nixon had friendly relations with China, but ignore the background of his original advocacy, so what made him change his attitude?
What kind of man was Nixon? Born in 1913 in Yorba Linda, near Los Angeles, California, USA, he was of Irish descent and had a certain amount of wealth, and his father was a car gas station and department store owner.
Nixon graduated from Whittier College and Duke University.
Nixon's experience as a lawyer in Whittle, California, equipped him with excellent eloquence and political talent. He joined the Republican Party in 1938 and married Turma Catherine Ron in 1940, with whom he had two daughters.
He served in the Navy from 1942-1946, mainly in the airlift team, and was promoted to Lieutenant General in 1945. After retiring from the army, he was elected to the Senate twice.
In 1946, he was elected as a Republican member of the U.S. House of Representatives, marking his official entry into politics. In 1950, he ran for the Senate and was successfully elected to the U.S. Senate.
During the campaign, he even openly claimed that his opponent, Mrs. Douglas, was a "communist," a tactic that ultimately led to his victory.
During his time in Congress, Nixon successfully established his reputation in the field by actively advocating for the "** idea," which led to his promotion to deputy ** for a four-year term.
However, in the 1960** race, he narrowly lost to John F. Kennedy, and then left the center of state power after losing the 1962 California gubernatorial race.
Despite his election defeat, Nixon did not give up and turned to practice as a lawyer in Los Angeles and New York, continuing to pursue his political ideas.
In 1969, he defeated Democrat Hubert Humphrey and independent candidate Wallace to be elected to the United States. During his first term, he established diplomatic relations with China.
However, it was a decision made under the immense pressure he was facing. At the time, the United States was mired in the Vietnam War and faced competition from the Soviet Union. Therefore, he had to adopt a policy of establishing diplomatic relations with China in order to get out of the predicament.
It was at this time that our country began to show its strength as a "Frankenstein". Under the blockade of the West and the tension with the Soviet Union, China successfully developed two bombs and one satellite on its own.
From the successful launch of the first atomic bomb to the launch of the hydrogen bomb, it took only two years and eight months. You must know that at that time, China's industrial level was far behind that of the United States in the initial stage of science and technology.
However, the rapid pace of research is truly astonishing. Between the development of the first atomic bomb and the hydrogen bomb in the United States, it took seven years and four months.
The research and development results of the two bombs and one satellite not only proved the strength behind New China, but also changed the attitude of Nixon towards China in the United States. Nixon needed allies in order to break the previous situation, and the emergence of China made him see the possibility of normalizing relations with China.
As a result, Nixon's visit to China established friendly relations with China. Since then, Japan, Europe and other countries have followed suit, established diplomatic relations with China, and restored friendly relations. Prior to this, China only had dealings with third world countries in general, developed countries did not pay attention to us, and the big brother of the Soviet Union was willing to help.
However, since the relationship with the big brother has been stiffened, China's scientific and technological development has been sluggish, and the United States has brought some younger brothers to send warmth, which is undoubtedly a relief to us.
These practices not only relieved China of its predicament, but also brought advanced knowledge and concepts in science and technology and military affairs, laying the foundation for China's rise.
In 1979, under the leadership of China, it began to implement the policy of reform and opening up, and actively learned advanced science and technology from the world. China is well aware that it is impossible to develop by relying on others alone, and only by vigorously developing science and technology on its own can it continue to make progress.
By lifting the ban with the United States, China has introduced Western technology, and at the same time, it has also vigorously developed scientific and technological talents at home and strived to improve the level of science and technology. In 2003, China successfully developed a manned spacecraft, which marked a qualitative leap in China's scientific and technological level and its international status.
Although the United States lifted the ban on China, they have strict export control, and most of China's imported technologies are obsolete items, and the latest technology will not flow out easily.
With the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and the United States, China has entered a high-speed development track, which is far faster than Nixon** expected. The American ** was surprised by China's rapid development, because the United States does not want to see a country more powerful than itself rise.
Nixon's original intention of visiting China was to let China restrain the Soviet Union, but he did not expect that China would seize the opportunity in the process and rapidly build up its strength. Even in his later years, Nixon would complain that he had created a tech behemoth.
Therefore, although Nixon's visit to China brought new life to China, our current achievements are not entirely due to him, but to a greater extent the result of the wisdom and efforts of the Chinese themselves.
If we are not smart enough and do not work hard enough, we are likely to miss this opportunity, and there will be no China now.
The fundamental reason for Nixon's improvement in relations with China was that he did not believe that China would rise quickly, but this idea was slapped in the face by the facts. China's transformation from a weak country to a big country in science and technology is entirely due to the struggle of hundreds of millions of working people.
Relying on one's own strength to gain the respect of all countries is the inevitable result of the rise of the Chinese nation. Although Nixon's visit to China accelerated China's scientific and technological development, the people were its core driving force.