Zhou Enlai
Zhou Enlai
Zhou Enlai was a leading figure in the People’s Republic of China. When the communists prevailed over the Nationalists in 1949, Zhou became premier of the new People's Republic of China. He was also the Chinese foreign minister from 1949 to 1958. Zhou was responsible for all of communist China's foreign policy through most of the Cold War and much of the PRC's domestic policy as well. He advocated peaceful co-existence with the West after the Sino-Soviet split in 1966. He was responsible for orchestrating President Nixon’s visit to China in 1972, during which time Nixon signed the Shanghai Communiqué with Premier Zhou Enlai. The communiqué was a statement of their foreign policy views and a document that would remain the basis of Sino-American bilateral relations for many years. The communiqué was a statement of their foreign policy views and a document that would remain the basis of Sino-American bilateral relations for many years. Kissinger also stated that the U.S. would pull its forces out of Taiwan and supported the notion of One China. Both nations also pledged to work toward the full normalization of diplomatic relations. This was the first step in setting of the foundation of China- U.S relations in the years to come.
Zhou Enlai was an important figure in relations between India and China. The P.R.C viewed Tibet as an integral part of China and therefore invaded it in 1951. In order to maintain friendly relations with China, Nehru signed the Panchsheel or the Five Principles of Peaceful Co-existence with Zhou Enlai in 1954. Following the Tibetan uprising in 1959, the Dalai Lama, together with a group of Tibetan leaders fled to India and set up the Government of Tibet in Exile in Dharamshala. Beijing and the Government-in-exile disagreed over when Tibet became a part of China, and whether the incorporation of Tibet into China was legitimate according to international law. In 1959, Zhou Enlai wrote to then Prime Minister Nehru saying that no government in China had accepted the McMahon Line, which at the Simla convention in 1914 had been formulated to define the eastern section of the border between India and Tibet. Disagreement and skirmishes over the disputed territory increased, particularly over the Aksai Chin area, ultimately leading to the Sino- Indian war in 1962. India’s relations with China worsened after the war, while Sino- U.S and Sino- Pak relations improved.
