Section 4. Relations between the United States and China
1. The People's Republic of China's "ping-pong diplomacy"
On April 7, immediately after the 31st World Table Tennis Championships held in Nagoya, Japan, the People's Republic of China announced that an invitation had been extended to the American table tennis team and a group of Western reporters to visit China. The American team and the reporters visited China from April 10. It was followed by visits to the People's Republic of China by American reporters and scholars, opening a new page in the history of Sino-American relations.
It is a fact that, through this series of moves, the People's Republic of China has changed its past policy which regarded any cultural interchange, including sports, between the United States and China as out of the question until the Taiwan issue was settled. In this context, although the "ping-pong diplomacy" was started on Chinese initiative, it can be taken that the People's Republic of China responded to the United States' past calls for improving relations.
2. Relaxation by the United States of restrictions on trade with China
On April 14, in the midst of the American table tennis team's visit to China, President Nixon announced a five-point statement concerning the relaxation of restrictions on trade with China. The five items can roughly be reduced according to their character to two types of measures, namely, (1) the handling of entry visas for citizens of the People's Republic of China and (2) permission for direct trade with the People's Republic of China in specifies items and relaxation of related restrictions on transportation and currency matters. These measures were carried out on May 7 and June10, respectively.
3. Announcement of President Nixon's visit to China
President Nixon, in a nationwide broadcast on July 15, announced that Presidential Assistant Kissinger had visited Peking for three days from July 9 and that the President himself would visit the People's Republic of China at an appropriate time before May 1972.
It was said that the purpose of his visit to China was to seek the normalization of Sino-American relations and to exchange opinions with the leaders of the People's Republic of China on matters of concern to both countries. The announcement was also made simultaneously in Peking.
4. China's U.N. representation issue
In connection with the Chinese representation issue at the 26th U.N. General Assembly, the United States adopted a policy of welcoming Peking's participation and, at the same time, of attempting to help Nationalist China retain its seat. It submitted the "Non-Expulsion Resolution" and "Dual Representation Resolution" proposal. However, the Albanian resolution calling for admitting Peking and expelling Nationalist China was ultimately adopted.
This did not impair Sino-American relations, and Presidential Assistant Kissinger visited Peking for the second time and preparations for the President's visit to Peking moved steadily ahead.
5. President Nixon's visit to China
President Nixon visited the People's Republic of China from February 21 to 28, at the invitation of the Government of the People's Republic of China, and held talks several times with Chairman Mao Tse-tung and Premier Chou En-lai. Prior to his return home, a Sino-American Joint Communique was issued in Shanghai on February 27. The Communique said that agreement had been reached to increase personnel and material interchange in order to promote the normalization of Sino-American relations.
6. Sino-American talks in Paris
In line with the purport of the above-mentioned Sino-American Joint Communique, the United States and China held Ambassadorial talks twice-on March 13 and March 20-in Paris, instead of Warsaw, the venue of such talks in the past. The talks so far have had the character of an exchange of courtesy calls by the ambassadors of both sides, rather than of substantial discussion. It can be said that the talks had a deep propaganda coloring to demonstrate that both the United States and China were making efforts toward the normalization of their relations.