State visit by Deng Xiaoping to the United States

{{Short description|1979 visit by paramount leader of China}}
[[File:Deng Xiaoping and Jimmy Carter review troops during arrival ceremony for the Vice Premier of China. - NARA - 183168.tif|thumb|Deng and President [[Jimmy Carter]] inspected the joint-service honor guard during an arrival ceremony for Deng at the [[White House]].]]
[[Deng Xiaoping]] paid the first official visit by a [[paramount leader]] of [[China]] to the United States from January to February 1979. Deng undertook the visit in his official capacities as [[Vice Chairman of the Chinese Communist Party|Vice Chairman]] of the [[Chinese Communist Party]], [[Vice Premier of the People's Republic of China|First Vice Premier]] of the [[State Council of the People's Republic of China|State Council]] and [[Chairman of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference]].{{cite web | url=https://www.marxists.org/history/erol/ncm-5/cpml-deng-visit.htm | title=Deng's visit: New era of friendship | access-date=2019-11-26 | archive-date=2020-08-28 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200828114730/https://www.marxists.org/history/erol/ncm-5/cpml-deng-visit.htm | url-status=live }} The visit initiated a series of high-level exchanges that would continue until the spring of 1989. It was the most important Chinese diplomatic visit to the country since [[Soong Mei-ling]], wife of the [[Republic of China (1912–1949)|Republic of China]]'s leader [[Chiang Kai-shek]], in 1943.

==Meetings and ceremonies==

=== Visit to Washington D.C. (29–31 January) ===

====Welcoming ceremony and bilateral meetings====
Deng arrived in the capital [[Washington, D.C.]], on 29 January with his wife [[Zhuo Lin]]. He was welcomed to the [[White House]] with full [[military honors]] from the [[3rd Infantry Regiment (United States)|3rd U.S. Infantry Regiment (The Old Guard)]], Ceremonial Company A at [[Marine Barracks, Washington, D.C.|Marine Barracks Washington]], the [[United States Navy Ceremonial Guard]], the [[United States Air Force Honor Guard]], the [[United States Coast Guard Ceremonial Honor Guard]] as well as the [[United States Army Band]]. A [[19-gun salute]] (since Deng was not the official head of state of China) was also fired in honor of Deng.{{cite web | last1=Steele | first1=Jonathan | url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/1979/jan/30/china.usa | title=America puts the flag out for Deng | China | the Guardian | website=[[TheGuardian.com]] | date=30 January 1979 | access-date=2019-11-26 | archive-date=2019-11-09 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191109004145/https://amp.theguardian.com/world/1979/jan/30/china.usa | url-status=live }}

During a bilateral meeting with Carter, he criticized Soviet relations with [[Vietnam]], saying the following to him and Secretary [[Cyrus Vance]]:{{cite web | url=https://history.state.gov/historicaldocuments/frus1977-80v13/d205 | title=Foreign Relations of the United States, 1977–1980, Volume XIII, China - Office of the Historian | access-date=2019-11-26 | archive-date=2022-06-18 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220618113406/https://history.state.gov/historicaldocuments/frus1977-80v13/d205 | url-status=live }}

{{Blockquote|Vietnam is playing the role of Cuba. Of course, the Soviet Union will make use of Vietnam to harass China. Vietnam is also an important factor in the Soviet "Asian collective security system."}}Deng sought an endorsement from the United States in order to deter the Soviet Union from intervening when China launched a contemplated punitive attack against Vietnam.{{Cite book |last=Zhao |first=Suisheng |title=The Dragon Roars Back Transformational Leaders and Dynamics of Chinese Foreign Policy. |date=2023 |publisher=[[Stanford University Press]] |isbn=978-1-5036-3415-2 |location=Stanford |pages=56 |oclc=1346366969}} He informed Carter that China could not accept Vietnam's "wild ambitions" and was prepared to teach it a lesson. Deng stated that the action would be limited in scope, and Chinese troops would quickly withdraw.{{Rp|page=137}} According to United States National Security Advisor [[Zbigniew Brzezinski]], Carter reserved judgment, an action which Chinese diplomats interpreted as tacit approval for China's invasion of Vietnam during the [[Sino-Vietnamese War|Sino-Vietnamese war]], which China launched shortly after Deng's return from the United States visit. According to academic [[Suisheng Zhao]], "The proximity in the timing of the military thrust to take advantage of the normalization to bluff the Soviets with a nonexistent US endorsement."{{Cite book |last=Zhao |first=Suisheng |title=The Dragon Roars Back Transformational Leaders and Dynamics of Chinese Foreign Policy. |date=2023 |publisher=[[Stanford University Press]] |isbn=978-1-5036-3415-2 |location=Stanford |pages=59 |oclc=1346366969}}

Deng also told Brzezinski that China was not afraid of a war with the Soviet Union because China had nuclear weapons.{{Cite book |last=Meyskens |first=Covell F. |url= |title=Mao's Third Front: The Militarization of Cold War China |date=2020 |publisher=[[Cambridge University Press]] |isbn=978-1-108-78478-8 |location=Cambridge, United Kingdom |doi=10.1017/9781108784788 |oclc=1145096137 |s2cid=218936313}}{{Rp|page=229}}

When Carter attempted to raise the issue of human rights in China during their discussions, particularly in the context of China's [[One-child policy]],{{Cite book |last=Li |first=David Daokui |title=China's World View: Demystifying China to Prevent Global Conflict |date=2024 |publisher=[[W. W. Norton & Company]] |isbn=978-0393292398 |location=New York, NY |author-link=David Daokui Li}}{{Rp|page=178}} Deng quipped that he could provide as many as two hundred million Chinese, if necessary, to the United States for the protection of human rights.{{Cite book |last=Zhao |first=Suisheng |title=The dragon roars back : transformational leaders and dynamics of Chinese foreign policy |date=2023 |publisher=[[Stanford University Press]] |isbn=978-1-5036-3415-2 |location=Stanford, California |pages=61–62 |oclc=1332788951}}

On 31 January, Carter and Deng signed agreements on cultural relations, science collaboration, and technology collaboration between their two countries.{{Cite book |last=Li |first=Hongshan |title=Fighting on the Cultural Front: U.S.-China Relations in the Cold War |date=2024 |publisher=[[Columbia University Press]] |isbn=9780231207058 |location=New York, NY |doi=10.7312/li--20704 |jstor=10.7312/li--20704}}{{Rp|pages=318–319}} Other American officials and Chinese officials signed agreements addressing [[Particle physics|high-energy physics]] cooperation, [[Consular assistance|consular services]], and education cooperation.{{Rp|page=319}}

====State dinner====
[[File:Jimmy Carter, Richard Nixon and Deng Xiaoping during the state dinner for the Vice Premier of China. - NARA - 183214.tif|thumb|Former President Nixon speaking with [[Deng Xiaoping]] and Jimmy Carter at the White House.]]

The evening of 29 January, a [[state dinner]] was held in honor of Deng and his delegation at the White House.{{cite web|url = https://www.theatlantic.com/photo/2018/04/photos-from-state-dinners-past/558578/|title = Photos from State Dinners Past - the Atlantic|website = [[The Atlantic]]|access-date = 2019-11-26|archive-date = 2019-09-27|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20190927161940/https://www.theatlantic.com/photo/2018/04/photos-from-state-dinners-past/558578/|url-status = live}} Among the guests was former President [[Richard Nixon]], his first return to the White House since his [[Richard Nixon's resignation speech|resignation speech]] in August 1974. President Carter at first refused to invite Nixon, but Deng said that if the former president was not invited, he would visit him at his California residence. During the dinner, Nixon had a private meeting with Deng and Carter.Stephen E. Ambrose, ''Nixon: Ruin and Recovery 1973-1990'' (United Kingdom: Simon & Schuster, 2014):524-525 A string section from the [[United States Air Force Band]] began to perform as dessert was being served. Following the dinner, Deng and Carter went to the [[John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts]]{{cite web| url=https://www.chinabusinessreview.com/january-29-1979-performance-of-american-arts-for-deng-xiaoping/| title=January 29, 1979 Performance of American Arts for Deng Xiaoping| date=28 January 2019| access-date=26 November 2019| archive-date=19 September 2019| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190919024019/http://www.chinabusinessreview.com/january-29-1979-performance-of-american-arts-for-deng-xiaoping/| url-status=live}} to witness performances by groups such as the [[Joffrey Ballet]] as well as singers such as [[John Denver]] and [[Shirley MacLaine]].{{cite web | url=https://www.whitehousehistory.org/history-of-chinese-state-visits-to-the-white-house | title=History of China State Visits to the White House | access-date=2019-11-26 | archive-date=2019-08-13 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190813183952/https://www.whitehousehistory.org/history-of-chinese-state-visits-to-the-white-house | url-status=live }}

[[Image:Carter DengXiaoping.jpg|thumb|[[Jimmy Carter]] and Deng at the Signing Ceremony.]]

===Visit to Georgia (1–2 February)===
[[File:Deng Xiaoping arrival at Dobbins Air Force Base Atlanta 1979-1.jpg|thumb|Deng and Zhuo Lin arriving at Dobbins Air Force Base, Georgia]]
On 1 February, he arrived in [[Atlanta]], the capital of the state of [[Georgia (U.S. state)|Georgia]], Carter's home state. In Atlanta he visited the headquarters of [[Coca-Cola]] and later toured the [[Atlanta Assembly]] owned by the [[Ford Motor Company]] in [[Hapeville, Georgia|Hapeville]].{{cite web | url=https://dlg.usg.edu/record/gsu_ajc_7199 | title=Vice Premier Deng Xiaoping touring the Ford Motor Company Assembly Plant, Hapeville, Georgia, February 1, 1979. - Digital Library of Georgia | access-date=November 26, 2019 | archive-date=August 28, 2020 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200828110653/https://dlg.usg.edu/record/gsu_ajc_7199 | url-status=live }} A banquet was held in honor of Deng the evening of 2 February.{{cite web | url=https://digitalcollections.library.gsu.edu/digital/collection/ajc/id/7196 | title=Banquet for Vice Premier Deng Xiaoping during his visit to Georgia, Atlanta, Georgia, February 2, 1979 | access-date=November 26, 2019 | archive-date=January 15, 2020 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200115104226/https://digitalcollections.library.gsu.edu/digital/collection/ajc/id/7196 | url-status=live }} The Atlanta Chapter of the National Association of Chinese-Americans was inaugurated the following year as a result of his visit.{{cite web | url=https://www.naca-atlanta.org/ | title=The National Association of Chinese-Americans | NACA | Atlanta | access-date=2019-11-26 | archive-date=2019-12-21 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191221084745/https://www.naca-atlanta.org/ | url-status=live }}

During the Atlanta portion of the trip, Deng and Coca-Cola signed a deal to allow the company entry into the Chinese market.{{Rp|page=137}}

Deng laid a wreath at the [[Martin Luther King Jr. National Historical Park|grave of Martin Luther King Jr]].{{Rp|page=319}}

===Visit to Texas (2–3 February)===
[[File:Visit of Chinese Vice Premier Deng Xiaoping to Johnson Space Center - GPN-2002-000077.jpg|thumb|left|Deng Xiaoping (left) and his wife Zhuo Lin (right) are briefed by [[Johnson Space Center]] director [[Christopher C. Kraft]] (extreme right)]]
Deng arrived in at [[Houston Intercontinental Airport]] on the Morning of February 2.{{Rp|page=137}} He arrived on [[Air Force One]] with local congressman [[Mickey Leland]] and was greeted by [[Mayor of Houston]] [[Jim McConn]]. At the arrival ceremony, McConn presented Deng with a box of silver [[spur]]s. The U.S. Senators from Texas, [[John Tower]] and [[Lloyd Bentsen]], refused to be seen with Deng.{{Rp|page=137}} Texas Governor [[Bill Clements]] was at the airport, declined to personally greet Deng, and immediately returned to the state capital.{{Rp|page=137}} Clements stated, "[W]e will turn out in a normal show of Texas hospitality. Whether we agree with him politically, philosophically, or whether we like chop suey or not, is beside the point."{{Rp|page=127}}

Deng visited the [[Hughes Tool Company]], a leading manufacturer of oil drilling equipment.{{Rp|page=138}} That afternoon, he toured [[Johnson Space Center]] and was photographed sitting in a replica of the [[Apollo 11]] [[lunar rover]].{{Rp|page=138}}

That evening, he was presented a [[Stetson]] cowboy hat during a [[rodeo]] he attended in [[Simonton, Texas|Simonton]] hosted by what is now the [[Greater Houston Partnership]].{{Cite news| url=https://www.nytimes.com/1979/02/04/archives/teng-speaks-of-plans-for-imports-in-billions-teng-tells-texans.html| title=Teng Speaks of Plans for Imports in Billions| newspaper=The New York Times| date=4 February 1979| access-date=26 November 2019| archive-date=3 November 2020| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201103212517/https://www.nytimes.com/1979/02/04/archives/teng-speaks-of-plans-for-imports-in-billions-teng-tells-texans.html| url-status=live}}{{cite web| url=https://www.chron.com/opinion/outlook/amp/Foster-Houston-plays-key-role-in-U-S-China-5294823.php| title=Foster: Houston plays key role in U.S. - China relations| date=6 March 2014| access-date=26 November 2019| archive-date=28 August 2020| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200828103622/https://www.chron.com/opinion/outlook/amp/Foster-Houston-plays-key-role-in-U-S-China-5294823.php| url-status=live}} The hat was given to him by a teenage barrel rider.{{Rp|page=138}} When the barrel rider's sister fell from her horse later during the rodeo, Deng sent his personal physician to check on her and confirm that she was not injured.{{Rp|page=138}} The Stetson hat is displayed in the [[National Museum of China]] in the center of the exhibit hall which focuses on Deng.{{Rp|page=138}}

The Texas portion of Deng's trip was sponsored by the Houston [[Chamber of commerce|Chamber of Commerce]].{{Rp|page=138}}

===Visit to Washington state (3–5 February)===
He arrived in the evening on 3 February at [[Boeing Field]] in [[Seattle]] before being transported to the Washington Plaza Hotel. He was accompanied by [[United States Secretary of Energy]] [[James R. Schlesinger]], Governor [[Dixy Lee Ray]] and Senators [[Warren Magnuson]] and [[Henry M. Jackson]]. He also visited former Secretary of State [[Henry Kissinger]] and toured the [[Boeing Everett Factory]].{{cite web |last=Dougherty |first=Phil |date=April 14, 2008 | url=https://www.historylink.org/File/8588 | title=Chinese Vice Premier Deng Xiaoping (Or Teng Hsiao-ping) arrives in Seattle for a two-day visit on February 3, 1979 |work=[[HistoryLink]] | access-date=November 26, 2019 | archive-date=December 18, 2019 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191218050718/https://historylink.org/File/8588 | url-status=live }}

China had lost access to Soviet-manufactured aircraft almost twenty years earlier as a result of the [[Sino-Soviet split]].{{Rp|page=138}} China sought to upgrade its aircraft. While in Seattle, Deng signed a deal to purchase several [[Boeing 747]]s.{{Rp|page=138}}

==Reactions and aftermath==
Carter stated that he found Deng, "small, tough, intelligent, frank, courageous, personable, self-assured, [and] friendly."{{Cite book |last=Zhao |first=Suisheng |title=The dragon roars back : transformational leaders and dynamics of Chinese foreign policy |date=2023 |publisher=[[Stanford University Press]] |isbn=978-1-5036-3415-2 |location=Stanford, California |pages=60 |oclc=1332788951}} Carter later described the visit as one of the most delightful experiences of his presidency.{{Cite book |last=Crean |first=Jeffrey |title=The Fear of Chinese Power: an International History |date=2024 |publisher=[[Bloomsbury Academic]] |isbn=978-1-350-23394-2 |edition= |series=New Approaches to International History series |location=London, UK}}{{Rp|page=136}}

The photograph of Deng donning the cowboy hat given to him at the rodeo in Simonton became a positive image for many Americans.{{Rp|page=138}} Most of the American public's reaction toward the visit was hostile, with anti-Communists and nationalists staging protests.{{cite web | url=https://www.thatsmags.com/shanghai/post/26702/this-day-in-history-deng-xiaoping-s-historic-visit-to-the-us | title=This Day in History: Deng Xiaoping's Historic Visit to the US | access-date=2019-11-26 | archive-date=2019-10-25 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191025085502/http://www.thatsmags.com/shanghai/post/26702/this-day-in-history-deng-xiaoping-s-historic-visit-to-the-us | url-status=live }} Four days prior to his visit, a group of anti-Deng protesters broke the entrance glass to what is now the [[Embassy of China in Washington, D.C.]] During the welcoming ceremony at the White House, two protesters were taken away from the press area after chanting anti-Chinese slogans. In Houston, there was an assassination attempt by a [[Ku Klux Klan]] member against Deng. The KKK member, who rushed to the podium where Deng was speaking with a knife, was intercepted by an agent of the [[United States Secret Service]].{{cite web|title=Deng's US visit[2]- Chinadaily.com.cn|url=http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/culture/2015-05/14/content_20711459_2.htm|access-date=2022-02-14|website=www.chinadaily.com.cn|archive-date=2022-01-28|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220128142522/http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/culture/2015-05/14/content_20711459_2.htm|url-status=live}}{{Cite news|url=https://www.ft.com/content/1a4b4642-fc4d-11e4-b007-00144feabdc0|title=Deng Xiaoping and the KKK plot exposed . . . 30-plus years later|newspaper=Financial Times|date=17 May 2015|last1=Hornby|first1=Lucy|access-date=26 November 2019|archive-date=26 September 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190926053438/https://www.ft.com/content/1a4b4642-fc4d-11e4-b007-00144feabdc0|url-status=live}} American [[Maoism|Maoist]] [[Bob Avakian]], along with his group [[Revolutionary Communist Party, USA]], protested Deng at the White House and denounced him as a "capitalist roader", and 17 party members, including Avakian, were later charged with multiple felonies including assaulting a police officer. Avakian and many RCP members fled abroad, and the charges were eventually dropped in 1982.{{Cite news |last=Oppenheimer |first=Mark |date=January 27, 2008 |title=Free Bob Avakian! |work=Boston Globe |url=http://www.boston.com/bostonglobe/ideas/articles/2008/01/27/free_bob_avakian/?page=3}}

Shortly after Deng's visit, Texas Lieutenant Governor [[William P. Hobby Jr.]] traveled to China and signed a deal through which China began selling crude oil to Houston-area refineries.{{Rp|page=138}}

On 1 March 1979, formal embassies were established in the capitals of the two countries. The [[Consulate General of China, Houston|consulate in Houston]] was the first PRC consulate opened in the United States.{{Rp|page=238}} Vice President [[Walter Mondale]] reciprocated Deng's visit with a trip to mainland China in August 1979. Two weeks later, the ''SS Letitia Lykes'' entered Shanghai harbor in the first US-flagged ship to visit the PRC in 30 years.{{cite web |url=http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/a/201901/04/WS5c2eb0afa31068606745ed60.html |title=Deng visit opened door for maritime trade |language=zh |publisher=Chinadaily.com.cn |date= |accessdate=2022-05-26 |archive-date=2020-08-28 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200828112050/http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/a/201901/04/WS5c2eb0afa31068606745ed60.html |url-status=live }} This visit led to agreements in September 1980 on maritime affairs, civil aviation links, and textile matters, as well as a bilateral consular convention.

==See also==
*[[1972 visit by Richard Nixon to China]]
*[[China–United States relations]]
*[[State visits to the United States]]

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
{{Commons category|1979 Deng Xiaoping visit to the United States}}
*[https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=75-YCxJlChY Houston Texas Deng Xiao Ping 1979]
*[https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=DNKhvixdV4o China 1979: Deng Xiaoping visits Texas February 2nd 1979]

[[Category:Deng Xiaoping]]
[[Category:China–United States relations]]
[[Category:1979 in China]]
[[Category:1979 in the United States]]
[[Category:Diplomatic visits by heads of government|Deng Xiaoping]]
[[Category:1979 in international relations]]
[[Category:January 1979 in the United States]]
[[Category:February 1979 in the United States]]