On the second day, Chinese language Premier Zhou Enlai hosted desk tennis delegations from Canada, the UK, Colombia, Nigeria, and the U.S. at Beijing’s Nice Corridor of the Individuals. Throughout his dialogue with the American staff, he earnestly requested, “Please convey the greetings of the Chinese language individuals to the American individuals upon your return. Traditionally, the peoples of China and the U.S. engaged regularly, a follow which was lengthy interrupted. Your go to marks a re-opening of the doorways to pleasant exchanges between our two nations. We’re assured that these pleasant exchanges will obtain widespread approval and assist from the majorities in each international locations.”
Lower than ten hours after this assembly, President Nixon introduced 5 important measures to carry restrictions on China. These included issuing visas, easing foreign money controls, eliminating provide and export limitations, and ending a 20-year commerce embargo in opposition to China.
Three months later, then U.S. Secretary of State Henry Kissinger secretly visited China, the place he was welcomed by Chairman Mao Zedong and Premier Zhou Enlai.
Thawing of Sino-American Relations
The ripple impact of this “Ping Pong Diplomacy” solely continued. The American desk tennis staff’s go to to China ignited a nationwide “ping pong craze” within the U.S. At a White Home assembly, Nixon even tried his hand on the sport, wielding a Chinese language-style paddle. Glenn Cowan and different members of the visiting American staff quickly turned family names, partaking in speeches, performances, and commercials throughout the nation.
In February 1972, Nixon made his official go to to China, which marked the primary time in historical past that an American president had traveled to the Chinese language mainland. With Zhou Enlai and Mao Zedong, their conferences culminated within the issuance of the historic Shanghai Communiqué, which laid the groundwork for normalizing bilateral relations. The 2 pandas gifted to the U.S. by China additionally obtained movie star remedy in Washington.
In April of the identical yr, the Chinese language desk tennis staff landed in Detroit, marking the primary official go to from the PRC to the U.S. Zheng Min, a member of the Chinese language delegation, remembered the heat and enthusiasm of the American individuals regardless of the language barrier. Throughout exhibition matches at an car manufacturing unit, employees greeted them with real handshakes and heat welcomes. Nixon additionally remarked throughout the White Home reception, “In competitors, there are winners and losers, however the biggest victor right here is the friendship between the American and Chinese language peoples.”
