Nixon to spend almost all time in China in talks

Press, Volume CXI, Issue 32779, 2 December 1971, Page 15

Nixon to spend almost all time in China in talks

(N.Z.P.A.-Reuter—Copyright) WASHINGTON, December 1. President Nixon’s seven-day visit to China in February would be devoted almost entirely to talks on ways to improve Chinese American relations, little time being set aside for sightseeing and social activities, officials said today..

The President, making the first trip there by any United States Head of State, will arrive in Peking on February 21 for a stay of at least four days. He will confer there with the Prime Minister (Mr Chou Enlai) and be received' by Chairman Mao Tse-tung.

He will then travel to Shanghai and to Hangchow, a river port surrounded by scenic hills and lakes 100 miles south and reported to be one of the most beautiful ports in China, for more talks with Mr Chou and other Chinese officials before leaving on February 28 to return to the United States.

A sketchy outline of the President’s itinerary released by the White House yesterday represented a personal triumph for his wife, who had not been expected to go to China but who received a special invitation from the Chinese Government to accompany her husband on the trip. . Diplomatic observers suggested that the Chinese intended to go out of their way to show the utmost hospitality to Mrs Nixon while the President spent most of his time trying to make a start in resolving the serious differences that exist between the Washington and Peking governments. Dr Henry Kissinger, the White House security adviser, told a press conference last night that the talks between the President and the Chinese leaders would be free-wheeling, each side bringing up whatever issues it wanted to.

He specifically said that the future of Taiwan—perhaps the most serious issue in Chinese-American relations—was one for settlement between China and Taiwan itself.

Officials said they had no doubt that Mr Chou would give the highest priority to Taiwan and. United States military commitments to the Nationalist Government of President Chiang Kai-shek when he conferred with the President. ‘No deals’ Dr Kissinger said that the United States would maintain its defence ties to Taiwan and that ’’there will be no deals made by either side at the expense of other countries, or concerning both countries.” ’

His statement that any subject could be introduced in the talks left open the prospect that the Vietnam war, and China u military and economic support for Hanoi, would come up, although the United States, he said, expected the conflict to end through the Vietnamisation programme or negotiations with North Vietnam, not in Peking. Dr Kissinger stressed the modest goals the President has set for his historic journey to Peking and his feeling that his talks there would

not bring about an instant detente.

He ruled out an agreement to establish diplomatic relations as a result of the Presidential visit and said that he expected that difference would continue after Mr

Nixon’s return to the United States.

"The minimum we expect to get out of this trip is a better understanding on both sides of each other’s position and a continuing means of remaining in contact so that one is not so dependent on these very dramatic encounters,” he said. He also voiced hope that the visit would lead to agreements on exchanges in the cultural, journalistic and academic fields “so that our two peoples can get to know each other better.” Mr Nixon will fly to China six weeks after completing a series of summit talks with the heads of Government of

Canada, France, Britain, West Germany and Japan by January 7 and about three months before held summit talks in Moscow with Soviet leaders.

Moscow visit More substantive results are expected from the Moscow visit than the China trip, possibly the signing of a hoped for agreement from the Strategic Arms Limitation Talks (S.A.L.T.) between the United States and the Soviet Union.

Dr Kissinger said, however, that the President would like to have a S.A.L.T. agreement as quickly as possible and was not holding one up to sign it during the Moscow summit meeting.

Dr Kissinger, who has made two trips to Peking to make arrangements for the President’s visit there, said that another advance party would go there from the United States to discuss press arrangements, communications and other technical matters.

About 2000 reporters have applied for visas, but Dr Kissinger said that the number of journalists permitted to go to China with Mr Nixon would be smaller than was normal on a Presidential trip but larger than the Chinese had been confronted with before.

The President would fly direct to China and return directly to the United States, although he would make a number of stops on American territory on the way to Peking to rest and become used to time zone changes.