FRIENDLY WELCOME FOR NIXON IN CHINA

Press, Volume CXII, Issue 32847, 22 February 1972, Page 1

FRIENDLY WELCOME FOR NIXON IN CHINA

(N.Z. P.A .-Reuter—Copyright) PEKING, February 21. President Nixon arrived in Peking today to try to improve relations between the United States and China. He and his party, including his wife Pat, were given a subdued but friendly reception at Peking Airport. Later President Nixon conferred with Chairman Mao Tse-tung at his residence for about an hour.

The Prime Minister (Chou En-lai) headed the welcoming party, and the greeting ceremony lasted less than 15 minutes after the President’s silver and blue 707 touched down for the eight-day visit.

Mr Nixon reviewed a 200-man guard of honour but there were no public statements either from him or Chou, and no banners, flowers, or smiling schoolchildren, as have greeted some other visitors to the People’s Republic.

Mr Nixon, with the aid of an interpreter, beamed and chatted to obviously friendly Chinese officials as he passed down two long lines of dignitaries on the apron of Peking Airport.

The absence of large welcoming crowds at the airport was considered by observers as not unusual, since the two nations have no diplomatic relations, and have been outspoken foes for years. At the airport was the party of about 20 welcoming Chinese officials, the guard of honour, the Army band and about 100 foreign reporters. Eighty - seven American newsmen are accompanying Mr Nixon on the visit. The Chinese officials included Yeh Chien-ying, leader of the armed forces, and the Deputy Prime Minister (Li Hsien-nien). The five-star Chinese flag and the Stars and Stripes flew at the airport—the first time the United States flag has been raised in China since the Communists came to power in 1949.

Mr Nixon stood together with Chou as a brass band played the American and Chinese national anthems.

Both flags

After the airport ceremony, Mr Nixon and Chou got into a black limousine with both their flags at the front and headed a motor-

cade for the 18-mile drive into Peking.

Among accompanying officials in the Presidential party were the Secretary of State (Mr William Rogers) and the foreign affairs adviser (Dr Henry Kissinger), the man who arranged this week’s visit during a secret trip to Peking last July. Mr Nixon and Chou were followed in the motorcade by a procession of at least 20 cars.

The long motorcade from the airport was notable for an almost total absence of street crowds.

Mr Nixon, riding with Chou in a Chinese limousine, travelled several miles before he saw his first spectator, a kerchiefed woman standing near a dusty field. People in streets Troops were much in evidence along the way. They stood passively, some smoking cigarettes, while the many cars in the cavalcade passed. Reaching the centre of the city shortly after noon, Mr Nixon saw many more people on the streets. But most of them seemed to be going about their business—many pedalling bicycles along the sides of the spectacularly broad avenues—rather than waiting to see the visitors.

Some of those along the curbs gazed at the passing cars, but they displayed no emotion.

In some sections of the city sizeable groups could be

seen held back by troops about a block away down side streets. It was not apparent whether they had come out to see Mr Nixon or were being kept away to keep the streets clear for the motorcade. Lake shore Chou escorted Mr Nixon into the Tiao Yu Tai guest house the President is occupying—a very large twostorey dwelling of buff brick on the shore of an icecovered lake. The Prime Minister took Mr Nixon to his suite, stayed until the President was settled, then excused himself. An American flag flew from a staff at the front entrance. The guest house is in a

park-like setting with an ornate gazebo built out from the lake shore in front of it.

Chinese car

No foreign diplomats were invited to Peking Airport, reflecting the bilateral nature of the occasion and also out of consideration for some of China’s allies whose relations with the United States are hostile.

President Nixon broke precedent by not bringing his own limousine with him, and instead drove in a Chinese “red flag” car. He and his party took a leisurely four days to fly to Peking with stops in Hawaii, Guam and Shanghai to overcome the effects of rapid chances in time zone.

At Shanghai, the President became the first United States Head of State to step on Chinese soil. He and his wife had a red-carpet reception and took a cup of tea at the airport terminal.

State banquet The first of the talks with Chinese leaders in Peking were due later today, and President Nixon-was to be guest of honour at a State banquet given by the Prime Minister at 7 p.m. Since the announcement of the Chinese invitation stunned the world in July, President Nixon has emphasised that his intention is to begin a dialogue with the Chinese Communists and not conduct a negotiation. Both sides have agreed that total. silence should cloak their talks until they have issued a final communique; not even the agenda has been made public.