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![[ENCORE] Henry Kissinger (and president Nixon) Go to China, and Everything Changes for the Republic of China (Taiwan)](https://images.podpage.com/https%3A%2F%2Fimages.podpage.com%2Fhttps%253A%252F%252Fs3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com%252Fredwood-labs%252Fshowpage%252Fuploads%252Fimages%252F494d234e-2214-46a6-907c-6e55c0caf6e4.jpg%3Fauto%3Dformat%26fill%3Dblur%26fit%3Dfill%26h%3D630%26w%3D1200%26s%3Da14291e6f6fb8a88d16f0e4edb7fe4f5?auto=format%2Ccompress&w=100&s=b2b54380176bbf23424b5e01f0f07b1d "[ENCORE] Henry Kissinger (and president Nixon) Go to China, and Everything Changes for the Republic of China (Taiwan)")
Henry Alfred Kissinger died on November 29, 2023 at the age of 100. This incredibly controversial figure was a massive player in US politics and policies during the last four decades of the 20th century. Among the most consequential choices Kissinger facilitated was the switch in diplomatic recognition by the United States from Taipei (the ROC) to Beijing (the PRC), a decision later followed by most of the world's nations. To mark his passing, we're rereleasing our "Nixon Goes to China" episode from earlier this year, with a special intro.
Cover: Henry Kissinger chats with CCP Chairman Mao Zedong in Beijing in 1971, as premier Zhou Enlai looks. Reports indicate Mao was rather fond of Kissinger and preferred chatting with him to speaking with then-US president Richard Nixon. Photo courtesy of Wikimedia Commons.
Below: An ailing Kissinger is assisted as he walks with PRC leader Xi Jinping during the 2019 New Economy Forum at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing on November 22, 2019. (Photo via CNBC News)
Below: While Nixon and Kissinger helped hammer in one of the last nails in the coffin, the tide was changing for the government in Taipei, Taiwan being recognized as "China." The image below shows the vote in the UN General Assembly on Resolution 2758 (1971) recognizing the People's Republic of China as "the only legitimate representative of China."
Green = In favor Red = Against Blue = Abstention
Yellow = Non-voting / Grey = Non-UN-members or dependencies
LITTLE KNOWN FACT: Due to the limited size of Vatican City, all embassies accredited to the Holy See are located in Rome, outside the borders of Vatican City. Hence, the Republic of China's (ROC) embassy to the Holy See is located in Italy, a country that recognizes the People's Republic of China (PRC.) Below: Image of the ROC flag flying in Rome. Via Wikimedia Commons.
Check our very first episode, the story of a very white man who showed up in London in 1703... and claimed to be from Formosa. Or try a foodie episode from Season 3. Or, for those who want some harder-core history, hear the tale of the Lockheed U-2 pilot Wang Hsi-chueh 王錫爵, who became was famous for defecting to the PRC by hijacking China Airlines Flight 334 on May 3, 1986.
