Primary Source Document
with Questions (DBQs)
J O I N T C O M M U N I Q U É O F T H E U N I T E D S T A T E S O F A M E R I C A A N D
T H E P E O P L E ’ S R E P U B L I C O F C H I N A ( “ S H A N G H A I C O M M U N I Q U É , ”
F E B R U A R Y 2 8 , 1 9 7 2 )
Introduction
In 1972 United States President Richard Nixon made his historic visit to the People’s Republic of China. The two
nations had not had diplomatic relations or trade relations since the founding of the People’s Republic in 1949. The
United States had regarded China as part of the Communist bloc and thus a target of containment. The People’s
Republic had regarded the United States as an aggressive enemy power. Beginning in the late 1960s, however, both
sides showed interest in opening relations. Sporadic contacts developed into a more serious dialogue in late 1970
and early 1971, and by 1972, both sides were seriously interested in opening up relations.
President Nixon and his National Security Adviser, Henry Kissinger, viewed opening relations with China as a part of
the strategy for withdrawing the United States from the Vietnam War. They also saw a strategic advantage to
“playing the China card” in the Cold War against the Soviet Union. In China, Mao Zedong and his advisers were
equally interested in achieving balance in their foreign relations by playing the United States against the Soviet
Union, which they regarded as a threatening “hegemonist” and “revisionist” practicer of “social imperialism.”
The “Shanghai Communiqué” established the framework within which relations between the two countries could
develop further and remains one of the fundamental bases of the U.S.-China relationship.
Document Excerpts with Questions


Joint
Communiqué
of
the
United
States
of
America
and
the
People’s
Republic
of
China

(“Shanghai
Communiqué,”
February
28,
1972)



President
Richard
Nixon
of
the
United
States
of
America
visited
the
People’s
Republic
of

China
at
the
invitation
of
Premier
Chou
En‑lai
of
the
People’s
Republic
of
China
from
February

21
to
February
28,
1972.
Accompanying
the
President
were
Mrs.
Nixon,
U.S.
Secretary
of
State

William
Rogers,
Assistant
to
the
President
Dr.
Henry
Kissinger,
and
other
American
officials.


President
Nixon
met
with
Chairman
Mao
Tse‑tung
of
the
Communist
Party
of
China
on

February
21.
The
two
leaders
had
a
serious
and
frank
exchange
of
views
on
Sino‑U.S.
relations

and
world
affairs.


During
the
visit,
extensive,
earnest
and
frank
discussions
were
held
between
President

Nixon
and
Premier
Chou
En‑lai
on
the
normalization
of
relations
between
the
United
States
of

America
 and
 the
 People’s
 Republic
 of
 China,
 as
 well
 as
 on
 other
 matters
 of
 interest
 to
 both

sides.
…

Primary Source Document with Questions (DBQs) on
JOINT COMMUNIQUÉ OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA AND THE PEOPLE’S REPUBLIC OF CHINA
(“SHANGHAI COMMUNIQUÉ,” FEBRUARY 28, 1972)
Asia for Educators l Columbia University l http://afe.easia.columbia.edu Page 2 of 2
…

There
 are
 essential
 differences
 between
 China
 and
 the
 United
 States
 in
 their
 social

systems
and
foreign
policies.
However,
the
two
sides
agreed
that
countries,
regardless
of
their

social
systems,
should
conduct
their
relations
on
the
principles
of
respect
for
the
sovereignty

and
territorial
integrity
of
all
states,
non‑aggression
against
other
states,
non‑interference
in
the

internal
 affairs
 of
 other
 states,
 equality
 and
 mutual
 benefit,
 and
 peaceful
 coexistence.

International
disputes
should
be
settled
on
this
basis,
without
resorting
to
the
use
or
threat
of

force.
 The
 United
 States
 and
 the
 People’s
 Republic
 of
 China
 are
 prepared
 to
 apply
 these

principles
to
their
mutual
relations.


With
these
principles
of
international
relations
in
mind
the
two
sides
stated
that:


• progress
 toward
 the
 normalization
 of
 relations
 between
 China
 and
 the

United
States
is
in
the
interests
of
all
countries;


• both
wish
to
reduce
the
danger
of
international
military
conflict;


• neither
 should
 seek
 hegemony
 in
 the
 Asia‑Pacific
 region
 and
 each
 is

opposed
to
efforts
by
any
other
country
or
group
of
countries
to
establish

such
hegemony;
and


• neither
is
prepared
to
negotiate
on
behalf
of
any
third
party
or
to
enter

into
agreements
or
understandings
with
the
other
directed
at
other
states.

…

The
 two
 sides
 reviewed
 the
 long‑standing
 serious
 disputes
 between
 China
 and
 the

United
 States.
 The
 Chinese
 side
 reaffirmed
 its
 position:
 The
 Taiwan
 question
 is
 the
 crucial

question
obstructing
the
normalization
of
relations
between
China
and
the
United
States;
the

Government
of
the
People’s
Republic
of
China
is
the
sole
legal
government
of
China;
Taiwan
is

a
province
of
China
which
has
long
been
returned
to
the
motherland;
the
liberation
of
Taiwan
is

China’s
internal
affair
in
which
no
other
country
has
the
right
to
interfere;
and
all
U.S.
forces

and
 military
 installations
 must
 be
 withdrawn
 from
 Taiwan.
 The
 Chinese
 Government
 firmly

opposes
any
activities
which
aim
at
the
creation
of
“one
China,
one
Taiwan,”
“one
China,
two

governments,”
 “two
 Chinas,”
 and
 “independent
 Taiwan”
 or
 advocate
 that
 “the
 status
 of

Taiwan
remains
to
be
determined.”


The
U.S.
side
declared:
The
United
States
acknowledges
that
all
Chinese
on
either
side
of

the
 Taiwan
 Strait
 maintain
 there
 is
 but
 one
 China
 and
 that
 Taiwan
 is
 a
 part
 of
 China.
 The

United
States
Government
does
not
challenge
that
position.
It
reaffirms
its
interest
in
a
peaceful

settlement
of
the
Taiwan
question
by
the
Chinese
themselves.
With
this
prospect
in
mind,
it

affirms
the
ultimate
objective
of
the
withdrawal
of
all
U.S.
forces
and
military
installations
from

Taiwan.
 In
 the
 meantime,
 it
 will
 progressively
 reduce
 its
 forces
 and
 military
 installations
 on

Taiwan
as
the
tension
in
the
area
diminishes.
…

…

Primary Source Document with Questions (DBQs) on
JOINT COMMUNIQUÉ OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA AND THE PEOPLE’S REPUBLIC OF CHINA
(“SHANGHAI COMMUNIQUÉ,” FEBRUARY 28, 1972)
Asia for Educators l Columbia University l http://afe.easia.columbia.edu Page 3 of 3
The
two
sides
expressed
the
hope
that
the
gains
achieved
during
this
visit
would
open
up
new

prospects
for
the
relations
between
the
two
countries.
They
believe
that
the
normalization
of

relations
 between
 the
 two
 countries
 is
 not
 only
 in
 the
 interest
 of
 the
 Chinese
 and
 American

peoples
but
also
contributes
to
the
relaxation
of
tension
in
Asia
and
the
world.
…





Questions:
1. What common interests do the two powers acknowledge?
2. How do they deal with the issue of Taiwan?
3. Does the United States recognize here that Taiwan is a part of a single China
and that the government of the PRC in Beijing is the government of that one
China (and therefore has sovereignty over Taiwan)?