Images (37)
Document
| id |
id
574771513
|
|---|---|
| contentType |
contentType
document
|
| source |
source
import
|
Source image fields (6)
Extracted text
OCR Page 1 of 37NEWSWEEK
March 6, 1972
Tuesday February 29, 1972
THE PRESIDENT HAS SEEN
Very positive piece here
The Little Things That Count
of the People. Supposedly, all "bour-
geois music-as well as all Russian music
-is now banned because it is consid-
By Sydney Liu
ered decadent.
Moreover, Chou did not have to pay a
T°
the millions of Americans watching
event continuous front-page, banner-
call on the President at the State Guest
President Nixon's televised arrival in
headline treatment, with photos and
House. But he chose to. And in his
Peking, the welcome must have seemed
numerous stories in its regular six-page
speech at the opening banquet, Chou
frosty indeed. No cymbals or gongs rang
issue. Radio Peking and provincial radio
went out of his way to express his wish-
out in greeting. No children came for-
stations broadcast reports of the visit,
es for the "normalization" of relations be-
ward to present Mrs. Nixon with flow-
and all over China people gathered be-
tween China and the United States.
ers. It was all very official-Chou En-lai
fore loudspeakers to hear the news. No
This, in itself, was a major step, and a
and a galaxy of China's top leaders
other foreign leader, including Nikita
well-planned one. For all the Chinese
standing stiffly in a receiving line. Yet to
Khrushchev in the days when Sino-Soviet
leaders, and especially Chou En-lai, are
a China watcher like myself, the airport
amity prevailed, has ever received such
masters at the specific use of words,
reception seemed downright friendly,
press coverage.
and he would not have chosen such
the warmest reception that Chou could
There is little doubt in my mind that
words unless he believed that a formal,
possibly arrange for someone whom Pe-
meticulous planning and thorough re-
friendly relationship with Washington
king only a year ago was calling "the
hearsal by both sides enabled Mr. Nixon
was a distinct possibility in the near fu-
most ferocious and cruel chieftain of
to start his "Long March" with Chou En-
ture. To underscore that point, Chou
imperialism."
promised at the banquet hosted
In watching Chinese ceremonies, it is
by Mr. Nixon on his last night in
important to remember that it is the
WINK
Peking that China would "work
small, subtle gestures that count. A smile
InJURY
a
unswervingly" to improve rela-
or frown can tell more than a page of
M
**** ********
tions with the U.S.
EN
.
pleasantries. The protocol-minded Chi-
Threat: In fact, indications are
nese do not do anything just for diplo-
that the Chinese went out of
matic courtesy. Everything they do has
their way to make the Nixon visit
its meaning. Thus, it was highly signifi-
a big success. But the question
cant that the People's Liberation Army
arises: what did the rolling out
guard of honor was at the airport. Not
of Mao's reddest of red carpets
only was the 500-man guard of honor the
really mean? It was, I believe, a
biggest that China watchers can remem-
confirmation that it is no longer
ber, but the entire practice of having a
the United States, but the Soviet
guard of honor for visiting heads of state
JM]
Union, that is China's main ene-
was done away with several years ago
M
my. In recent months, Peking has
and restored only this year. To provide
All
not even tried to hide its ani-
such an impressive guard of honor for
ix
*
mosity toward the "new czars" in
Mr. Nixon's arrival-and to raise the
*
JE
Moscow. In his talks with Amer-
Stars and Stripes at Peking airport-
ican visitors in the past few
ill
were truly remarkable gestures of wel-
E
months, Chou En-lai has repeat-
come to the President.
edly asserted that the real mili-
Yet another significant sign of respect
tary threat to China comes from
was the fact that not just one or two,
B
Russia-and that admission is tan-
but nearly all of China's senior leaders
59
tamount to an invitation to the
appeared at the airfield and again at the
$11
United States to work together
banquet Monday night. Neither Emper-
in pursuit of common interests.
or Haile Selassie of Ethiopia nor Presi-
Moreover, by surrounding Mr.
dent Zulfikar Ali Bhutto of Pakistan re-
Nixon during his trip with the
ceived such honors in their recent state
entire spectrum of China's lead-
visits to Peking. Yet both Ethiopia and
ership-from moderates like Chon
Pakistan have formal diplomatic relations
People's Daily front-pages the summit
En-lai to radicals like Mao's wife,
with China.
Chiang Ching-Mao was telling
Contrast: To give additional honor to
lai so favorably and so fast. In his ban-
the President that all shades of opinion
Mr. Nixon, Chairman Mao broke his prac-
quet speech, the President was ready
supported this opening to the West.
tice of seeing visiting dignitaries at the
with a quotation from one of Mao's
In my opinion, that opening is destined
end rather than at the beginning of their
poems. Moreover, the President proved
to grow much larger. After the pan-
trips to China. And although the press
extremely apt at making those little ges-
das and the musk oxen are exchanged,
officers on both the Chinese and Ameri-
tures the Chinese believe to be impor-
journalists and scholars, athletes and cul-
can sides described the talks as "serious
tant-such as helping Chou En-lai off
tural groups, tourists and trade officials
and frank"-usual diplomatic jargon in
with his coat when the Premier came to
will almost certainly follow across the
Communist countries for disagreement-
visit him at the State Guest House. And,
Pacific. The prospects for increased trade
the smile on Mao's face was an unmis-
if my personal impressions as a Chinese
are also excellent. American technology
takable indicator that the Nixon-Mao
are any gauge, Pat Nixon will leave be-
produces sophisticated equipment that
talks were in fact cordial. One only had
hind her in China a deep impression of
China needs, and America would bei a
to contrast these smiles with the grim,
an American First Lady who talked to
natural market for such items as Chi-
poker faces of Chou En-lai and Soviet
every Chinese she met as an equal and
nese antiques, ivory carvings and Tien-
Premier Aleksei Kosygin during their
showed an intense interest in learning
tsin carpets. Possibly there is an element
1969 Sino-Soviet summit talks at Peking's
about China.
of wishful thinking on my part, but 1 am
airport to know that the Nixon summit
Mr. Nixon's Chinese hosts, for their
convinced that a decado from now the
was off to a good start.
part, were extremely gracious. Even
Nixon visit to China will be seen for what
Equally fascinating was the unprece-
such a small thing as playing "Home on
it is-the beginning of a rapprochement
dented coverage in the Chinese press of
the Range" at the first banquet was not
between two major Pacific powers and,
the trip. China's most important news-
without its significance. Certainly it has
as such, a landmark in modern diplor
paper, Peking's People's Daily, gave the
never happened before at the Great Hall
matic history.
March 6, 1972
29
PRESERVATION COPY
Relations
belongs_to