Answer:
- he wanted to put pressure on the soviet union to negotiate a treaty in Vietnam.
- he wanted to demonstrate the country's shifting stance on communism
Explanation:
The seven-day official visit to three Chinese cities was the first time a U.S. president had visited the PRC.
Nixon's arrival in Beijing ended 25 years of no communication or diplomatic ties between the two countries and was the key step in normalizing relations between the U.S. and the PRC.
- Nixon would be the first president to visit “Red China” and negotiate with Mao.
- The reason for opening up China was for the U.S. to gain more leverage over relations with the Soviet Union. Resolving the Vietnam War was a particularly important factor.
- President Richard Nixon's policy sought on détente with both nations, which were hostile to the U.S. and to each other. He moved away from the traditional American policy of containment of Communism, hoping each side would seek American favor.
- In his first months in office, Nixon directed the U.S. military to increase its pressure on the battlefield, while ordering the secret B–52 bombings of North Vietnamese base camps in Cambodia—the “Menu bombings”—as a signal of his willingness to further escalate the war.
