In 1972, Dr Henry Kissinger paved the way for the normalisation of US-China relations. The US national security adviser engineered a meeting between president Richard Nixon and chairman Mao Zedong – a master stroke of realpolitik. It peeled China away from the Soviet bloc, giving the United States an edge in the Cold War.
More recently, former president Donald Trump started a trade war against China and called Covid-19 the “kung flu”. US President Joe Biden stuck with Trump’s tariffs and amplified them with sanctions on Chinese tech companies, confirming Beijing’s view that the US was attempting to block the economic rise of its rival.
Already a subscriber? Log in
Read the full story and more at $9.90/month
Get exclusive reports and insights with more than 500 subscriber-only articles every month
ST One Digital
$9.90/month
No contract
ST app access on 1 mobile device
Unlock these benefits
All subscriber-only content on ST app and straitstimes.com
Easy access any time via ST app on 1 mobile device
E-paper with 2-week archive so you won't miss out on content that matters to you
