President Nixon holds his chopsticks in the ready position as Premier Zhou Enlai (left) and Shanghai Communist Party leader Zhang Chunqiao reach in front of him for some tidbits at the beginning of the farewell banquet on Feb. 27, 1972. Credit: Bettmann/Contributor
In 1967, as race riots spread across the United States and as the Vietnam War raged on, an astounding 70 percent of Americans agreed on one thing: the greatest threat to U.S. security was the People’s Republic of China. At the time, China was in the throes of one of the most violent, anti-democratic upheavals of the century, The Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution, and Americans feared that the contagion of Mao’s “people’s war” would spread from Indochina around the world.
So, it was surprising when, against this backdrop, then-presidential candidate Richard Nixon issued a call for amity in the pages of Foreign Affairs. Still famed for his anti-Communism, he warned Americans that they needed to come to grips with “the reality of China.”
Listen: The Wire's David Barboza talks with Orville Schell about the end of "engagement" with China.
“Taking the long view,” he wrote, “we simply cannot afford to leave China forever outside of the
Exclusive longform investigative journalism, Q&As, news and analysis, and data on Chinese business elites and corporations. We publish China scoops you won't find anywhere else.
A weekly curated reading list on China from David Barboza, Pulitzer Prize-winning former Shanghai correspondent for The New York Times.
A daily roundup of China finance, business and economics headlines.
We offer discounts for groups, institutions and students. Go to our Subscriptions page for details.
With traditional information gathering inside China nearly impossible these days, many researchers are using creative methods to mine the Chinese internet — and they're finding diamonds. From what's happening in Xinjiang to the PLA's use of AI to China's new nuclear capabilities, these researchers are defying the perception that China is a black box.
The business consultant talks about the full complexity of human trafficking, how companies can 'leave' responsibly, and the very fast-evolving picture of sanctions.
