U.S. President Richard Nixon makes a historic eight-day visit to China from February 21–28, 1972, the first-ever visit by a U.S. head of state to the PRC, ending 25 years of diplomatic isolation and hostility between the two nations.
The visit resulted in the "Shanghai Communiqué," a pledge from both nations to work toward the full normalization of diplomatic relations. Which took place in 1979. The visit is widely considered one of the most significant diplomatic achievements of the 20th century allowing the U.S. to gain leverage over the Soviet Union by exploiting the Sino-Soviet split, while also addressing the sensitive issue of Taiwan and initializing direct dialogue between the leaderships.
