The record on such issues in recent years has been mixed. The U.S. and China have agreed on opposition to Iran`s and North Korea`s nuclear program, but they are different in the tactic of defeating them. They worked together to maintain peace on the Korean Peninsula and on the streets of Taiwan. You see the Arab Spring and, more recently, the Syrian insurgency through very different lenses, which will be a source of tension, as the region remains in turmoil and the forces of change and the status quo enter into violent conflict. We have a common interest in preventing Pakistan from becoming a source of instability and a long-term base for terrorism, but different perspectives on Pakistan`s relations with India. The good news is that no matter how deep our differences on some of these issues are, none of them have led to conflicts between us or show signs that they are at the origin. They thought it was quite humiliating that the national security adviser was with the president at this historic meeting, but not the foreign minister. In addition, the special assistant to the national security adviser was the third person, but the foreign minister did not have too much, even for them.

The Chinese must have been confused about this, but they agreed to respond to this request. [4] Nixon held numerous meetings with Chinese Premier Zhou Enlai during the trip, including visits to the Great Wall, Hangzhou, and Shanghai. The porcelain statue of Nixon, a gift to Mao, was handed over on the way to the gift ceremony. After his trip, the U.S. and PRC governments issued the Shanghai Communiqué, a statement of their foreign policy views, and a document that has remained the foundation of China-U.S. bilateral relations. Kissinger said the U.S. also intends to withdraw all its forces from the island of Taiwan. [12] In the communiqué, the two nations pledged to work towards the full normalization of diplomatic policy.

First, opening up to China would give us more flexibility on the world stage in general. We would not only be dealing with Moscow. Of course, we could deal with Eastern Europe and we were able to deal with China because the former communist bloc was no longer a bloc. Kissinger wanted more flexibility in general. Second, by establishing relations with China, we would attract Russia`s attention and exert greater influence on it by playing this obvious China card. The idea would be to improve relations with Moscow, hoping to awaken some of its paranoia by addressing China, never focusing so much on China as we would turn Russia into an enemy enemy, but enough to attract the attention of the Russians. These efforts worked spectacularly after Kissinger`s secret trip to China. Third, Kissinger and Nixon wanted help to resolve the Vietnam War…