A Brief History of U.S. Presidents in China

George H.W. Bush, 1989
President George H.W. Bush traveled to China in February 1989 for a 40-hour "working visit." The recently elected President had served as Ford's chief China liaison officer before the countries had established formal diplomatic relations, and his trip was seen more as a gesture of goodwill than anything else. Bush's tone changed a few months later, however, when he halted all arms sales and imposed sanctions on China following the June 4 Tiananmen Square massacre.

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