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Reconsidering U.S-Sino Relations:A Comparative Analysis Of The Influence And Political Thought Processes Of Nixon And Carter

Posted on:2014-01-25Degree:MasterType:Thesis
Country:ChinaCandidate:D WangFull Text:PDF
GTID:2246330395495950Subject:International relations
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Richard Nixon, the37th President of the United States of America, is one of most influential American president in regards to the diplomatic history of U.S.-Sino relations. In1972, President Nixon became the first U.S President to visit the People’s Republic of China (P.R.C.). He also issued the Sino-U.S joint Communique, often referred to as the Shanghai Communique, which set in place the guidelines and track for the development of bilateral relations. The first visit to China (P.R.C.) of a U.S President is one of the most important international diplomatic events in the20th century and major milestone and contribution to the improvement of U.S. and China relationship. Nixon opened the great door of Sino-China relations and started the normalization of previous estranged and highly complicated relationship. However, President Nixon never had the chance to fully walk through the door.James Earl Carter, the39th President of the United States of America, is another important U.S President in regards to the development of U.S.-Sino relations. President Carter completed the normalization of the bilateral relationship and established official diplomatic ties between the two countries. In April of1978, during his presidency, President Carter announce the U.S government’s One China Policy, that Taiwan is a part of China, and the that the P.R.C. is the one legal government of China. At the same time, his administration also ended official Sino-Taiwan diplomatic relations. The shift put in place the building blocks for U.S.-Sino relations. Although since the PRC was founded, the U.S. and China have gone through major challenges, the relationship today is regarded as one of the most important bilateral relations of the21th century. Some international media even refer to the bilateral relationship as the most important one in the world. Therefore this thesis hopes to undertake an in-depth analysis of the beginnings of this relationship, particularly the two American presidents who helped forge together this bond.The official signature of the US-China Joint Communique defines the U.S.-China relationships as relations of mutual respect and a mutual win-win. This political background can be traced back to the end of1960s and the early of1970s, where China-U.S relations began the process of normalization based on mutual strategic interests and security demands. The path spans from Nixon’s first visit to China to the complement of full normalization of relations during Carter’s presidency. Additionally, Carter’s constant contribution to U.S-China Relations after he left the White House, and its historical and political meaning, deserves research. This thesis is themed by contemporary U.S-China Relations, from the perspective of political and moral views, to analyze the two U.S Presidents’China policy and its influence on bilateral relations. This thesis selects different angles of political history and varied sources, including diplomatic periodicals, historical literatures of U.S-China relations, international media reports about the analysis of the two presidents’China policy, and documents that take account of the process of the normalization of U.S.-Sino relations. This thesis analyzes the two presidents’ influence on bilateral relations, incorporating two case examples:the first is the process of normalization, and the second is the moral and political realist motivations of two presidents’administration. The aim of this thesis is to research the two presidents’different levels and motivations of influence on bilateral relations and its long-term development significance.The structure of this graduate thesis is divided into five chapters. The first chapter is an introduction and summary of the historical background of U.S-China Relations and President Nixon and Carter. The second chapter is a literature review, which reviews the process of normalization and the two presidents’China policy through research contribution and academic sources. The third chapter is a historical analysis of the process and development the bilateral relationship, and an analysis of the difference of both President Nixon and Carter’s China Policy. The fourth chapter is an analysis of the difference of both Nixon’s and Carter’s China policy from a political and historical view. The fifth chapter states the main findings of the thesis and conclusion remarks, which describe the different levels of influence of the two presidents on U.S.-China relations and their long-term political significance.
Keywords/Search Tags:Richard Nixon, James Earl Carter, U.S.-China Relations, China Policy
PDF Full Text Request
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