US Economic And Trade Relations With China During The Nixon Administration

In the mid-1960 s,there was a growing debate in the United States about restructuring relations with China and renewing trade relations with the Community China.In order to remove obstacles to the rapprochement of US-China relations and to gradually consolidate bilateral relations after the rapprochement,the Nixon administration had to consider the suitable way to deal with bilateral trade.After all,as China is a planned economy with command-and-control planning,the United States is a market economy that encourages sufficient free competition,trade activities between China and the United States cannot be handled in the traditional manner of each.Based on declassified US documents and archives,this article will examine how the Nixon administration handled bilateral trade affairs,with the most important clue being how the official and unofficial channels of trade interacted to structure trade structures and thereby facilitate the normalization of trade relations and political relations.The full text consists of three parts.In the first part,based on a review of US trade activities with China since the 1950 s and the relevant policy ideas of the US government,it focuses on how the Nixon administration used trade control policies to promote moderation in US-China relations.During this period,bilateral trade activities either had to be conducted using thirdcountry re-exports or had to be done with the cooperation of official channels due to severe control policies.Trade policy overtures were used as a strategy to achieve rapprochement without offending domestic liberals and avoiding the uneasiness of conservatives.In the second part,a study is conducted on the bilateral trade activities and channel policy design between the US and China after Nixon’s visit to China.After February1972,the lowering of US trade control standards with China contributed to a new period of Sino-US trade.Following the rapprochement of relations,the US government set about planning mechanisms to maintain and facilitate trade activities with China,and the conception and practice of official and unofficial channels were put into reality during this period.In the third part,it discusses the dual-channel trade system between the US and China from 1973 to 1974.In terms of the dual channel,1973 was an important year.The spring Canton Fair and the establishment of important organizations in May led to a gradual increase in communication and interaction between two separate channels.The dual channels,from merely disclosing trade information to each other,evolved into a long-term mechanism of mutual promotion and collaboration to advance bilateral trade.As a result,the US has built up a mechanism for long-term,stable and harmonious trade relations with China.