The China Gambit: From Nixon to Trump

The China Gambit: From Nixon to Trump

US President Donald Trump's summit with China's leader Xi Jinping in Beijing was the latest in decades of high-level diplomatic encounters between the two countries marked by drama, tension, and surprising breakthroughs, as reported by Dawn. The New York Times noted that the visit comes as relations with China have become more combative.

President Trump's visit to Beijing follows a tradition of American presidential trips to China that began with Richard Nixon's landmark 1972 visit. Nixon's trip was a gamble, betting that a diplomatic opening with the Communist government would serve American interests, as the New York Times reported. According to Dawn, Nixon met with Chairman Mao Zedong and Premier Zhou Enlai, with whom he raised glasses of baijiu. At a banquet in the Great Hall of the People, Nixon declared "there is no reason for us to be enemies." A secret visit by national security adviser Henry Kissinger the year before laid the groundwork, alongside "ping-pong diplomacy" involving reciprocal visits of table tennis teams, Dawn reported. Nixon's visit kicked off formal contacts that led to full diplomatic ties in January 1979, and is widely seen as a catalyst for China's emergence from decades of isolation.

Subsequent presidents built on that opening, with visits that reflect the alternating dark and bright periods in US-China relations, from the gloom after the Tiananmen massacre to the electricity as China entered the World Trade Organization. The New York Times described these visits as being in a continuum of such periods.

George H.W. Bush's February 1989 visit was overshadowed by growing calls for democratic reform in China, as reported by Dawn. A Texas-style barbecue hosted by Bush at a Beijing hotel sparked a small diplomatic crisis after the Chinese government objected to the inclusion of astrophysicist and dissident Fang Lizhi on the guest list. Officials attempted to block Fang multiple times on his way to the banquet, and Bush later expressed regret to the Chinese over the incident. In June that year, Fang played a key role in the pro-democracy Tiananmen protests that were violently crushed by the Chinese government.

Bill Clinton's nine-day tour of China in 1998 marked a thaw in relations after the US had slapped sanctions on Beijing in the aftermath of the 1989 crackdown, according to Dawn. The New York Times noted Clinton's 1998 visit, during which he had a televised debate with Chinese President Jiang Zemin about human rights and the Tiananmen crackdown.

George W. Bush attended the opening ceremony of the 2008 Beijing Olympics, seen as a symbol of China's growing global influence, as reported by both Dawn and the New York Times. The New York Times also listed Bush's visits in 2001, 2002, and 2005.

Barack Obama visited China in 2009, 2014, and 2016, during which he discussed various issues including climate change, Iran's nuclear ambitions, and China's military activities in the South China Sea, as reported by both outlets.

President Trump's 2017 visit was given a "state visit plus" treatment, during which he praised Chinese President Xi Jinping and announced several trade and investment deals, according to Dawn and the New York Times. The New York Times reported that before his arrival in Beijing, Trump posted online that he planned to ask Xi, "a Leader of extraordinary distinction," to "open up" China — language that echoes the way American presidents have framed relations with China for half a century.

The New York Times reported that as China's power grew, and the nation became more confident — some argue arrogant — in its dealings with the United States, the dynamics of the summits changed, and many Chinese officials and analysts now regard the United States as a nation in terminal decline.

Coverage Comparison

Both Dawn and the New York Times provided extensive coverage of the history of US presidential visits to China, with each outlet offering its own framing. Dawn's coverage emphasized the drama and tension in these diplomatic encounters, while the New York Times focused on the historical context and the increasingly combative nature of the relationship. The two outlets covered largely the same set of visits, though the New York Times provided a more detailed list, including Gerald Ford's 1975 visit and Ronald Reagan's 1984 visit, which were not mentioned in Dawn's account.

Dawn noted that the US cut ties with China when the Communist Party took over the country in 1949, a fact also implied by the New York Times. Both outlets reported on Nixon's 1972 visit as a seminal event, with Dawn providing more detail on the ping-pong diplomacy and the secret Kissinger trip.

A key difference in coverage is the inclusion of Ford's and Reagan's visits by the New York Times, which Dawn did not mention. Ford visited China in December 1975, 10 months before the death of Mao Zedong, and Reagan visited in 1984 and discussed trade, which would later become a central aspect of US-China relations, as reported by the New York Times.

Key Claims

• Nixon's 1972 visit to China marked a significant shift in US-China relations, facilitated by a secret trip by Henry Kissinger the previous year.
• George H.W. Bush's February 1989 visit was marked by tension due to growing calls for democratic reform, and included a diplomatic incident over the inclusion of dissident Fang Lizhi at a barbecue.
• Bill Clinton's 1998 visit included a televised debate with Chinese President Jiang Zemin about human rights and the Tiananmen crackdown.
• George W. Bush attended the 2008 Beijing Olympics opening ceremony, seen as a symbol of China's growing global influence.
• Barack Obama visited China in 2009, 2014, and 2016, discussing issues such as climate change, Iran's nuclear ambitions, and the South China Sea.
• Donald Trump's 2017 visit was given a "state visit plus" treatment, with praise for Xi Jinping and announcements of trade and investment deals.