“Their first, second, and third audiences are in Beijing, and the U.S. is somewhere way down the list.” Bloomberg correspondent Peter Martin appeared on the Sinica Podcast to discuss his book on the history and purpose of the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
In 1955, Chinese premier Zhou Enlai was the target of an assassination attempt by the KMT in what has become known as the "Kashmir Princess" incident, named after a passenger plane that was rigged with a time bomb. Sixteen people died, but Zhou was not among them.
In 1971, amid growing threats from the Soviet Union, both the U.S. and the People's Republic of China were interested in a strategic alliance. But before any public gestures could be made, both sides had to make sure, privately, the other was receptive.