In 2019, the last year before the COVID-19 pandemic began, 150 million Chinese tourists visited the United States, Europe, Southeast Asia, and other regions, and returned home voluntarily. And firms in China that are wholly or majority owned by foreign investors account for 40 percent of China’s exports.Īt the time of Nixon’s visit, the Chinese government’s most important border control policy - as in East Germany then or North Korea now - was to prevent ordinary Chinese from escaping the country for good. General Motors sells more cars in China than in America or any other market. Virtually all major global brands that can be seen in New York, London, and Singapore, are ubiquitous in major Chinese cities as well.Īpple, Boeing, Caterpillar, Starbucks, and many other foreign companies are currently doing brisk business in China, supporting the returns of US pension and mutual funds that invest in them. An international tourist cannot tell from people’s clothing alone whether she is in Shanghai, Seoul, Tokyo, or Taipei. Today, Chinese can choose their place of employment, more than 80 percent of the workforce are employed by firms not owned by the state, and wages are determined by supply and demand in the labour market. There was not a single foreign brand on the streets of Beijing or Shanghai. Nixon’s entourage also noticed an astonishing lack of colour on the streets, as most Chinese wore either blue or green. Almost every Chinese adult worked for the state or in a state-owned firm, because no privately owned domestic enterprises or foreign firms operated in the country. Ordinary Chinese had no freedom to choose where to work and had to accept jobs assigned by their local government. Although this impression is partly a by-product of today’s geopolitical competition, it also reflects a lack of historical perspective.Īt the time of Nixon’s visit, China was as isolated and closed off from the world as North Korea is today. But, despite the seismic economic changes in China in the intervening half-century, many in the West regard today’s People’s Republic as an unreformed communist country whose unfair trade practices are harming Western workers and consumers. On February 21, 1972, Richard Nixon became the first US president to visit the People’s Republic of China, setting in motion a process that would end China’s decades-long isolation and kick-start the emergence of a modern, dynamic economy. Two leading Chinese scholars reflect on the legacy of one of the biggest geopolitical shifts of the Cold War. Fifty years ago this week, Richard Nixon became the first US President to visit China.
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