National Beijing Opera House, Beijing China
Sino-American Relations Tighten
McCarthyism and the Korean War
In 1950, McCarthyism broke out in the United States, and Americans viewed the People’s Republic of China as a threat to national security. In the Korean War, the United States joined the United Nations in support of South Korea, as PRC supported Communist North Korea. Tensions between the U.S. and P.R.C. rose.
Nuclear CrisisIn 1964, P.R.C. developed its first nuclear weapons. Current U.S. President Lyndon Johnson considered attacks on mainland China to attempt to stop or slow down P.R.C.’s nuclear program, but eventually, he decided that it would be too risky.
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Portrait of Mao Zedong, 1st Chairman of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China
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Richard Nixon Historian, Roger Stoltenberg, comments on pre-Nixon China.
Rapprochement in response to the Soviet Union
Sino-Soviet relations grew extremely tense, as differences in security and ideology threatened both the USSR and PRC. In March 1969, there were several border altercations, and P.R.C. would begin to view the USSR as a bigger threat than the U.S.
The three world powers – U.S., U.S.S.R., and P.R.C. – would begin an ultimate ping pong battle for political leverage. As this opportunity for diplomacy became more and more of a reality, President Nixon ultimately began his game of “ping pong.”
The three world powers – U.S., U.S.S.R., and P.R.C. – would begin an ultimate ping pong battle for political leverage. As this opportunity for diplomacy became more and more of a reality, President Nixon ultimately began his game of “ping pong.”