But the US launched a diplomatic boycott. GT: The Olympics are supposed to be an event going beyond politics. That was indeed the case when the Soviet Union boycotted the Los Angeles Olympics four years later. Second, I thought we were setting a precedent that would come back to hurt us. First, I think sports need to be kept separate from politics. And I was the one of two people there who opposed the Olympic boycott in Moscow. If you observe the interaction between the two countries over the Winter Olympics, what conclusions would you draw?įreeman: I was present at the meeting in the secretary of state's office on Christmas day, 1979, after the Soviet Union invaded Afghanistan. This year's Winter Olympics are also the focus of attention of both China and the US. GT: The normalization of China-US relations began with ping-pong diplomacy.
Nixon believed that the world could not be peaceful or prosperous if China had no constructive relationship with the United States and was left outside the postwar order. Instead of acknowledging the many benefits to the world and the United States that flowed from China's emergence as a prosperous participant in the post-World War II, American-sponsored world order, they object to the loss of American global and regional preeminence and the inability of the United States to have its way unilaterally. They also seem oblivious to the very positive developments in China and the world that the opening of relations between the two countries generated. How do you comment on this?įreeman: Those who make this argument have forgotten the circumstances in which the United States and China reached out to each other and the major gains for both sides from doing this. GT: A view in the US holds that Nixon's visit 50 years ago was a mistake, so is the US engagement policy of China. We were faithful to our commitments to our partners. So we had to demonstrate to our friends that despite our cooperation on a strategic level, we had not sold out their interests. China had a relationship with Pakistan that was important to it. China had a relationship with North Korea and North Vietnam, but we had a relationship with South Korea and South Vietnam. It was very important to reassure our respective friends. But to prepare the Shanghai communiqué, we spent a lot of time talking about the disagreements between us over wars, over Korea, over Kashmir, and other issues. The main lesson of the Nixon-Mao meeting was that we could set aside ideology in the interest of cooperating to common ends. We should be talking about cooperation first. We should not be talking about competition first. This was a very appropriate approach, and it yielded great results for both countries. So we set the differences aside and focused on common interests. What implications does this have for today's China-US relations?įreeman: Both countries in 1972 approached each other with the idea that we could cooperate despite differences. GT: That visit left a good impression on both the Chinese and American people. While I was impressed with China as a culture, as a civilization, this was not the high point of Chinese achievement. One cannot help but be struck by Beijing as the capital of a country that has many years of history. And I thought the Chinese side of the talks was very well prepared, very professional. I loved hearing people in speaking with their distinctive Beijing accent. What impressed you most in China that week?įreeman: The weather was clear. This file photo taken on Februshows US President Richard Nixon (C) and US Secretary of State William Rogers (R) visiting the Great Wall of China, north of Beijing, during an official visit in China.Photo: AFPGT: Nixon once called his ice-breaking visit to China in 1972 "the week that changed the world." During that week, you were also in China as a member of the US delegation.
Nixon visits china and moscow definition full#
The following is the full transcript of an interview between Freeman and Global Times (GT) reporters Yu Jincui and Bai Yunyi.
Freeman Jr (Freeman), who was a lead translator for Nixon during the visit, said the biggest lesson we should learn from the trip is that China and the US "could set aside ideology in the interest of cooperating to common ends." He called for the US to make the first move and change its China strategy that emphasizes competition to break ice in current China-US relations. Recalling this breakthrough trip, Chas W. Monday marks the 50th anniversary of US president Richard Nixon's historic visit to China.
0 kommentar(er)
