1971: Year That Transformed Centuries

“If I were given a chance to expertise any hundred skill sets, I would choose the Chinese Diplomacy each hundred time.”

People’s Republic of China (PRC) or what we call today as China is an outcome of Chinese Diplomatic prowess in 1971-72. It was the first time any US President visited the Communist China (PRC). The visit was followed by some dramatic changes in world politics which shook the whole of Europe and Asia and the consequences of which are still discernible in the present geopolitical and economic scenario.

The emergence of communist China

After twenty-two years-long Civil War (1927-1949) between the communists and the  nationalists, the Communist Party of China (CPC) led by Mao Zedong and Zhou Enlai took control over the mainland China and formed the People’s Republic of China and the nationalists fled to the island of Taiwan and formed the Republic of China. The US and its allies and the Japanese refused to recognize the communist government in mainland China. Communist China was even denied the UN membership and very few countries in the world established diplomatic ties with it. In fact, India was one of the first countries to globally recognize the government of the People’s Republic of China (PRC) and established diplomatic ties with it.

Failing to gather global support, PRC then extended its diplomatic reach to neighboring India, Pakistan, USSR, and smaller South-East Asian countries. Chinese adroitness in statecraft was first perceived by the world when it coaxed Indian Prime Minister to give the narrative of ‘Hindi-Chini Bhai-Bhai (Indians and Chinese are brothers)’ and simultaneously maintained close ties with India’s arch-rival - Pakistan. Also, India inexplicably always supported the illegal annexation of Tibet by the People’s Republic of China despite China’s indifferent stance on the Kashmir issue.

China’s global entry

Korean War of the 1950’s then opened the doors for Communist China to make an international entry and showcase its vitality. When South Korea (backed by US forces) tried to invade North Korea, China (PRC) summoned the then Indian Ambassador to Beijing to deliver a message to the Americans that if the US troops cross the 38th parallel, China will intervene in the war. China wanted to give diplomacy a chance but Americans ignored the Chinese message, calling it an empty threat. Americans' invasion of North Korea was then successfully countered by the Chinese forces and the war came to a stalemate. China (PRC) being an important member in the war was then invited to the Geneva Conference of 1954 to discuss the Korean and the Indochina war (between France and Vietnam) and Zhou Enlai (Premier of PRC, 1949-1976) left no opportunity to persuade west with its charm and intelligence.

A year later, China, despite being a non-member, was still invited for Afro-Asian Conference in Bandung, Indonesia. Zhou Enlai deliberately kept a low profile in the conference and focused on maintaining its ties with Asian and African leaders. His tactic was “to not involve in any provocative or divisive debate however at the same time avoid isolation and seduce the opponents through word and gesture in pursuit of national interest.”

But despite enhancing its global presence, the United States of America and its allies never recognized the People’s Republic of China. They propounded the Nationalist government in Taiwan (Republic of China) as original China and tried destabilizing and stunting the communist government in the mainland China. It also prohibited Americans from visiting PRC, cut off trade, and orchestrated an international embargo of China. All this continued until 1971.

Best of Chinese statesmanship

Late 1960s and early 1970s saw the best of Chinese diplomacy when it firstly embedded its stronghold in the Vietnam war (1955-75) at the time when Americans were seeking a way out and then used Soviets in cold war politics. 

Chinese strategic diplomacy began after the My Lai Massacre during the Vietnam war in 1968 in which the US army attacked innocent civilians in Northern Vietnam and burnt thousands of them alive. Incident was broadcasted by global media and it aroused the anti-war sentiments in the United States. US Elections were coming close and making the best out of this situation, the Republican presidential candidate (later became the President of USA), Richard Nixon, campaigned about the USA’s complete withdrawal from the Vietnam. PRC closely scrutinized the moment and strengthened its hold in Northern Vietnam. Once Richard Nixon's government took an oath, a conducive environment for the US-Sino ties to embark upon was set by the Chinese by culminating the Sino-Soviet (USA’s arch-rival in the cold war) border issue in 1969. 

The United States was anxious to leave Vietnam and thought that reaching out to China could safely drive them out of the war as they could use China to put pressure on North Vietnamese to reduce their presence in South Vietnam. 

Chinese leader Mao Zedong (Chairman of CPC) triggered the end of the decades-long standoff by inviting American journalist and writer Edgar Snow to stand on top of the Tienanmen gate to watch the National Day celebrations in 1970, a privilege never granted to a foreigner before.

To get the assurance of Chinese seriousness regarding the Americans and US-Sino ties, President Nixon, a staunch anti-communist, sent Henry Kissinger (US Secretary of State) on a secret mission to Communist China via Pakistan in 1971 and on the successful execution of the mission, he announced his official visit to the People’s Republic of China, to be held in February 1972.

Soon thereafter in 1971, the United Nations, on USA’s recommendation recognized the People’s Republic of China and endowed it with the permanent Security Council seat that was been held by the Republic of China in Taiwan since 1945. Surprisingly, USSR too didn’t veto the move despite antagonism between them and the Chinese.

US-Sino rapprochement

21st February 1972, the first time when an American President set foot on Chinese (PRC) soil. 

The 1971-72 rapprochement between the two giants was greatly influenced by personalities than the exigencies of the moment. The administrations in both China and United States had mustered sufficient courage to implement rapid changes. President Nixon signed the 'Shanghai Communique' which said that the US acknowledges that there is only one China and that is the People’s Republic of China and that Taiwan is a part of China. The US decided not to mediate between China and Taiwan but reaffirms its interest in the peaceful settlement of the issue by the Chinese themselves. On the other hand, China promised political and economic liberalization.

The irony was that 'The USA despite being an anti-communist nation supported the Communist China and abandoned the Republic of China in Taiwan.' 

Chinese diplomacy has turned the tables around.

On the last day of his visit, President Nixon gave a very famous speech in which he said: “generations in the years ahead will look back and thank us for this meeting that we have held in this past week.” 

Relations aftermath

In 1973, the Paris Peace accord was signed and Vietnam got unified under the communists and finally USA exited Vietnam but at the cost of defeat. 

Later, China agreed on opening its economy, brought various reforms but remained adhere to its communist ideology. China and US shared warm relations in the mid-1970s which heated up in the late 1970s. USA shared technology, brought in foreign investments and helped setting up special economic zones in China. But somewhere USA felt betrayed and when China’s economic progress accentuated, it realized ‘China’s growth is USA’s demise’.

So, later, despite signing ‘One China Policy’, US Congress approved the ‘Taiwan Relations Act’, allowing continued commercial and cultural relations between Taiwan and the USA. 

Taiwan has turned out to be that red hot issue the way Jerusalem is to the Palestinians and the Israelis and the way Kosovo was to the Albanians and the Serbs.

But wasn’t it too late for the Americans? 

China has now militarily strengthened, having diplomatic ties with almost every nation along with a permanent security council seat in the UN. 

It has emerged as a global power managing the global supply chain. It is inexorably going to overtake the United States in the near future and control the 21st century.

Americans are left with less to do. It can’t drag the Chinese for their illicit actions to the UN. China itself will veto it. Sino-US direct confrontation is something less probable with both nations being nuclear powered. But it is for sure that deteriorating Sino-US relations imply 21st century full of confrontations and geopolitics or possibly the beginning of ‘Cold War 2.0’. 

One could easily calculate how much 'thankful' is an American to that week long meeting between the President Nixon and Mao Zedong.

But was that really China who betrayed Americans despite knowing what they did to Indians in 1962? Or was that US who deceived its Citizens and betrayed its own ideals?

History is not usually told stories of epic battles and courage last stands. It is sometimes beyond our horizon.

Author: Gautam Sodani