Question

why did president nixon want to open up diplomatic relations with china?

a. he knew the u.s. could control china and the asian region.
b. he wanted to trade with china.
c. he reasoned that if the u.s. aligned with china, then russia might soften its stance with the u.s.
d. he wanted to keep russia out of china fearing the spread of communism in the region.

Explanation:

Analyze Nixon's strategic goals

Using the Cold War Foreign Policy and Cold War Diplomacy knowledge points, President Richard Nixon and his National Security Advisor Henry Kissinger pursued a strategy known as "triangular diplomacy." By improving relations with the People's Republic of China, the U.S. aimed to gain leverage over the Soviet Union (Russia), exploiting the existing Sino-Soviet split to pressure Moscow into detente and arms control negotiations.

Evaluate the given options

• Option a is incorrect because the U.S. did not believe it could directly control China or the entire Asian region.
• Option b is incorrect because while trade was a secondary benefit, it was not the primary strategic driver for opening relations.
• Option c is correct because aligning with China was intended to make the Soviet Union more cooperative and soften its stance toward the U.S.
• Option d is incorrect because the Soviet Union and China were already deeply divided by the late 1960s, and the move was not about keeping Russia out of China.

Answer:

• a. He knew the U.S. could control China and the Asian region.
• b. He wanted to trade with China.
• c. He reasoned that if the U.S. aligned with China, then Russia might soften its stance with the U.S. (Correct answer)
• d. He wanted to keep Russia out of China fearing the spread of communism in the region.