February 1972Reputable sourceWell documented
Nixon's Visit to China
On the timeline · around February 1972 ·
What happened
President Richard Nixon traveled to Communist China in February 1972, becoming the first sitting US president to do so and meeting with Mao Zedong. The visit, capped by the Shanghai Communiqué, began the normalization of US–China relations after more than two decades of estrangement.
Why it matters
The opening to China exploited the Sino-Soviet split, reshaped the Cold War's balance of power, and gave Washington new leverage over Moscow.