50 years on, why Nixon's China visit should be remembered

Beijing, 22 February (2022) - It was a handshake that changed the world.

On Feb. 21, 1972, as then U.S. President Richard Nixon deplaned from Air Force One at Beijing's airport, he extended his hand toward then Chinese Premier Zhou Enlai. This handshake "across the Pacific Ocean" symbolized the thawing of relations between the capitalist superpower and the most populous developing country under a Marxist ruling party.