The Pageantry and Flattery of Donald Trump’s Visit to China
Key takeaways
- He wanted to ease his way out of an unpopular war in Vietnam and to burnish his image with scenes of statesmanship.
- Mao Zedong’s lieutenants, perhaps wary that they would appear fawning, staged an airport reception that was “perfunctory by Chinese standards,” Margaret MacMillan wrote in “Nixon and Mao,” a history of the visit.
- The LedeReporting and commentary on what you need to know today.
President Donald Trump and the Chinese President, Xi Jinping, participate in a welcoming ceremony on Thursday, in Beijing.Photograph by Kenny Holston / Getty Save this story Save this story Save this story Save this story In 1972, when Richard Nixon became the first American President to visit China, he was preoccupied with more than making diplomatic history. He wanted to ease his way out of an unpopular war in Vietnam and to burnish his image with scenes of statesmanship. As his aides plotted TV coverage that might impress audiences at home, they suggested that the First Lady emerge from Air Force One wearing a bright-red overcoat, to stand out against the drabness of Communist Beijing.
The Chinese side made its own preparations. Mao Zedong’s lieutenants, perhaps wary that they would appear fawning, staged an airport reception that was “perfunctory by Chinese standards,” Margaret MacMillan wrote in “Nixon and Mao,” a history of the visit. They also set about exploiting the President’s eagerness for a deal. As Patricia Kim, an expert on China’s foreign policy at the Brookings Institution, told me recently, “Chinese leaders tend to press hardest when they sense advantage.” In return for opening a new relationship, they persuaded Nixon to reduce support for their rivals in Taiwan. One American observer declared, “They got Taiwan; we got egg rolls.”
The LedeReporting and commentary on what you need to know today.