U.S. & China: A New Beginning

[Music] Mr President we share the sense of being on a historic Mission Soo us relations have reached a new beginning China and the United States are great countries friendly cooperation between our two peoples is bound to exert a positive and far-reaching influence on the way the world situation evolves China ancient land fabled land a country that gave mankind the compass gunpowder paper and the use of silk a nation that for centuries sealed itself off from the outside world following World War II the legions of maong write a new chapter in China's troubl history proclaiming a communist philosophy and promising a mightier more prosperous Nation Mao's Army sweep like a red tide across the countryside and into the cities routing the nationalist forces of General isimo Chong kek in 1949 Victory is one and Mong announces the establishment of the People's Republic of China a bamboo curtain drops around a quarter of the world's population Chung kek is forced to flee to the island of Taiwan where he sets up a Chinese government in Exile [Music] the United States continues to recognize Chung and his nationalist government providing military assistance to Taiwan and promising to help defend the island from Attack by the red Chinese 1950 United Nations Forces come to the aid of South Korea when it is invaded from the north red China enters the war and more than 50,000 Americans die and another 150,000 are wounded in July 1953 at panmunjom North Korean and un officials sign an Armistice that ends the bitter [Music] fighting Taiwan becomes an island stronghold for the Chinese nationalists through the 1950s secretary of state dullas is the symbol of America's support of Chun Kai Sheek and refusal to recognize communist China the American 7th Fleet Cruises The Waters between Taiwan and the mainland the US military presence maintains an uneasy status quo between the two chin asked about returning to the mainland Madame Chun kek says if thus strikes us a strange to be asked as we are so often asked do you expect to return to Mainland China know if a member of one's Community should be forced from his house by Lawless elements if most of his belongs are seized and if some members of his family are held captive in the house would one ask him do you want your house back someday yes we believe we will go back behind the bamboo curtain mauo undertakes a Great Leap Forward family life is abolished men and women 14 to 50 are organized into communes where their activities are in response to bugle calls the results are chaos Chinese Farmers lacking modern technology plant the wrong crops they sew too early and too deeply they exhaust the soil and production instead of going up up goes down the most primitive means of irrigation are used as Mong dismisses scientific agriculture as useless Superstition and so with 25 times as many farmers as America grain production barely exceeds the US output for workers in factories and on assembly lines salaries average an estimated $30 a mon month compared to 250 in Russia and 1100 in the United States oil production in China is less than a quarter of that in America again the need is for management skills and up-to-date equipment lacking industrial knoow much of the country's coal reserves remain untapped should abundance Manpower be harnessed to modern technology the People's Republic could become a leading industrial power but with limited ties to the outside world advances in education Science and Technology are slow the lack of cultural exchanges the restriction on the free flow of ideas limit the nation's growth in Moscow in 1956 a dramatic development that divides the Communist world and brings the Russian bear and Chinese dragon into open [Music] conflict Nikita kof denounces Joseph Stalin Mount Tong's longtime Idol and speaks of peaceful coexistence between the free and communist worlds in ping reaction at first is restrained But as time passes Mong becomes more outspoken more critical of moscow's brand of Communism the dragon and the bear square off to see who is number one the United States is sharply critical of ma when Chinese troops March into neighboring Tibet and set up a puppet regime there relations are strained further when Mao supports hoi Min during the Vietnam war ironically 15 years later China will turn on Vietnam when it becomes a close Ally of Russia at the United Nations America and her supporters are able in the 1960s to block the admission of red China no delegation in this debate has been able to refute what is in fact undeniable that communist China does not meet the requirements clearly set out in article 4 of the chter her for participation in this organization both in words and in Deeds communist China rejects the commitment required of member states to settle their disputes by peaceful means and to abandon the use or threat of force in international relations in the early 1960s American and communist officials meet in Warsaw Poland in autal attempt to find ways of resuming normal diplomatic ations by 1971 there are enough Communists in third world countries in the United Nations to expel nationalist China from membership the action is angrily denounced by the delegate from Taiwan we shall continue to struggle with the like-minded governments for the realization of the ideals of which the United Nations was founded but which the general assembly has now betrayed which we are confident that the cause for which we have been fighting for more than a quarter of a century will in the end Prevail All That Remains is for the roll call vote that grants the People's Republic of China a place in the world organization loud Applause greets the completion of the balloting and the announcement of the results the result of the Voting is as follows in favor 76 oppose 35 abent 17 the resolution adopted nationalist China the first country to sign the UN Charter is now the first member expelled next a dramatic about face in Sino American relations Secretary of State Kissinger makes a secret trip to pay King and arranges for President Nixon to visit mainland China February 1972 22 years of hos end as the presidential plane arrives in ping some observers believe the Nixon trip during a presidential election year is politically motivated Ping's response they say reflects a deepening division between the Soviet Union and the People's Republic whatever the reason the leaders of the two superpowers explore the road to reconciliation President Nixon and chairman Mau a basic differences between their two countries but at the same time agree to work toward normalization of [Music] relations in September 1976 death claims maong the prophet teacher guide and architect of the People's Republic of China has outlived Chong kek by a [Music] year women and men young and old mourn the leader who shaped their lives and directed their Destinies for more than a quarter of a century a political moderate woing is chosen to succeed Mao as communist China enters a time of testing from within and without January 1979 Deputy Prime Minister dong shaing comes to Washington as the United States after 30 years severs ties with nationalist China and opens diplomatic relations with the People's Republic VIPs at the welcoming ceremonies on the White House lawn hear President Carter say today we take another step in the historic normalization of relations which we have begun this year we share in the Hope which Springs from reconciliation and the antici ipation of a common Journey we expect that normalization will help to move us together toward a world of diversity and of Peace purged by Mao in 1966 and paraded through ping wearing a dunce cap dong was restored to power purged a second time and reborn again President Carter calls dung's visit one of the most historic in our nation's history a highlight of the Washington visit is a Gala performance at the Kennedy Center singer John Denver pianist Rudolph cirin the Joffrey Ballet and the Harlem Globe Trotters are among the featured performers [Applause] [Music] [Applause] the 74-year-old dong a basketball fan himself is delighted by the acrobatic antics of the world famous magicians of the court on a more serious note dung and Carter sign a series of agreements on cooperation in science technology space and cultural exchanges through trade and Aid the People's Republic seeks to increase industrial output and raise its standard of living America in turn looks to a vast New Market for its exports for too long our two peoples were cut off from one another now we share the prospect of a fresh flow of Commerce ideas and people which will will benefit both our countries a new beginning in us China relations