Nixon goes to China
POLITICAL METAPHOR REFERRING TO RICHARD NIXON'S 1972 VISIT TO CHINA
Only Nixon could go to China; It took Nixon to go to China; Nixon in China (phrase); Nixon goes to China (phrase); Only Nixon goes to China
The phrase "Nixon goes to China", "Nixon to China", or "Nixon in China" is a historical reference to United States US President Richard Nixon's 1972 visit to the People's Republic of China, where he met with Chinese Communist Party Chairman Mao Zedong. Its basic import is that Nixon's well-established reputation as an anti-Communist "hawk" gave him political cover against domestic criticism for a move that might have been portrayed as conciliating a geopolitical rival.