Conversation
07.08.19

The Other Tiananmen Papers

David Shambaugh, Evan Medeiros & more

In the wake of the lethal use of force by China’s military against demonstrators in Tiananmen Square and citizens of Beijing on June 4, 1989, the United States and other governments were confronted with a series of vexing moral and policy...

Viewpoint
12.06.18

‘The Events Were Regrettable’

Perry Link

In late February 1989, a month after becoming president, Bush visited Beijing and invited roughly 500 people to a “Texas barbecue” at a posh Beijing hotel. The invitees included Fang Lizhi, the famous astrophysicist and political dissident. The...

Conversation
12.04.18

Did President George H.W. Bush Mishandle China?

James Mann, Wang Dan & more

ChinaFile contributors discuss 41st U.S. President George H.W. Bush’s legacy for U.S.-China relations. —The Editors

Photo Gallery
09.29.14

A History of China and U.S. Leaders Meeting Through The Years

When the first U.S. President visited China, he was no longer president. Ulysses S. Grant traveled in Asia in 1879. The Qing empire was embroiled in a dispute with Japan over territorial claims to the Ryuku Islands and wanted the U.S. to mediate...