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July 16, 1971, Page 1Buy Reprints
SAN CLEMENTE, Calif., July 15—President Nixon said to night that he would visit China before next May at the invita tion of Premier Chou En?lai to “seek the normalization of re lations between the two coun tries and also to exchange views on questions of concern to the two sides.”
Transcript of Nixon's speech will be found on Page 3.
Mr. Nixon's brief and unex pected announcement was made on nationwide radio and television from Los Angeles.
Mr. Nixon disclosed that the arrangements had been made by Henry A. Kissinger, the chief White House adviser on national security, who secretly visited Peking during his recent worldwide tour.
Simultaneous Statements
The announcement was being made simultaneously in the United States and in Peking. Mr. Nixon said.
“Our action in seeking a new relationship with the People's Republic of China will not be at the expense of our old friends,” he said in an obvious allusion to Natonalist China. “It its not directed against any other nation.
“We will seek friendly rela tions with all nations. Any nation can be our friend with out being any other nation's enemy.
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“I have taken this action,” he continued, “because of my profound conviction that all nations will gain from a reduc tion of tensions and a better relationship between the United States and the People's Re public of China.
First Such Trip
“It is in this spirit that I will undertake what I deeply hope will become a journey for peace, peace not just for our generation but for future gen erations on this earth we share together.”
Mr. Nixon's visit will be the first by an American President to China.
It had not been known that Mr. Kissinger was in China at all on his 11?day trip that took him to South Vietnam, India, France and other countries this month.
The President said Mr. Kis singer and Premier Chou con ferred in Peking from July to 11. That was when he was reported to be in Pakistan tem porarily incapacitated by stomach ailment.
Mr. Kissinger arrived at the Western White House Tuesday and has been in daily consultation with President Nixon since then. He was with the President tonight when he flew by helicopter from the Presidential compound to the National Broadcasting Com pany studio in suburban Los Angeles to make the announce ment.
In a statement of fewer than 400 words, Mr. Nixon said he had requested the broadcast, at 7:30 P.M. Pacific time, to an nounce a “major development in our efforts to build a last ing peace in the world.”
He said that he had pointed out on a number of occasions over the last three years that “there can be no stable and enduring peace without the participation of the People's Republic of China and its 750 million peoples.”
“That is why I have under taken initatives in several areas to open the door for more nor mal relations between our two countries.”
Statement Read
He read this statement:
“Premier Chou En?lai and Dr. Henry Kissinger, President Nixon's assistant for national security affairs, held talks in Peking from July 9 to 11, 1971. Knowing of President Nixon's expressed desire to visit the People's Republic of China, Premier Chou En?lai, on behalf of the Government of the Peo ple's Republic of China, has ex tended an invitation to Presi dent Nixon to visit China at an appropriate date before May, 1972.
“President Nixon has accept ed the invitation with pleasure.
“The meeting between the leaders of China and the Unit ed States us to seek the normalization of relations be tween the two countries and also to exchange views on questions of concern to the two sides.”
President Calls Meeting
Earlier in the day, it became known that the President had called a meeting of the National Security Council for tomorrow at the summer. White house here, where an intensive review of foreign policy has been under way for several days. This re view, it was disclosed, had in cluded extensive discussion of the seven?point Vietcong peace proposal put fa?. ward at the talks in Paris on July 1.
The President, who arrived here on July 6, is due to return to Washington on Sunday.
The arranging of a Presiden tial trip to China was by far the most dramatic development in the remarkably rapid thaw, in relations between the two countries that has occurred in recent weeks. The United States has never had diplomatic rela tions with the Chinese Com munist Government that came to power in 1949, and the Unit ed States has opposed entry of Peking into the United Nations.
President Nixon on several occasions recently has said that China had become so pow erful and so energetic that it would be a mistake for it to continue in isolation from Western nations.
In a proclamation last week designating Oct. 24 as United Nations Day, Mr. Nixon pointed to a report by his commis sion for the observance of the 25th anniversary of the United Nations, headed by Henry Cab ot Lodge, and commended it to the attention of all American citizens.
That report contained, among other things, the recommenda tion that the United States adopt a “two?Chinas policy” that is, to recognize both main land China and the Chinese Na tionalist Government on Tai wan. The United States has rec ognized the Nationalist Govern ment, which is represented in the United Nations.
The President's trip to China will have important political im plications in this country.
President Nixon will presum ably run for re?election in 1972. Much of the conservative wing of the President's Republican party is opposed to a thaw be tween the two countries. There is evidence that President Nixon agonized long over the decision but that he obviously feels the appearance of President going forth in search of world peace will enhance his stature.
China's Interest in Settlement
The President spoke less than than 24 hours after it had become known that Peking for the first time had expressed an interest in playing a part in a settlement of the Vietnam war by participating in a new Geneva conference on Indo China. Premier Chou En?lai had expressed such an interest to Gough Whitlam, the leader of the Opposition Labor party of Australia, and the Australian Embassy in Washington quick ly transmitted the development to the State Department.
Administration experts on China said in Washington this morning that they were taking the Chinese offer of participa tion seriously and saw it as positive development.
