A Dissonance in Mao's Revolution: Chinese Agricultural Imports from the United States, 1972-1978

Abstract

Following President Richard Nixon’s visit to China in February 1972, U.S.-China trade increased almost ten-fold within three years, of which China’s agricultural imports represented the largest category. This trade created unprecedented opportunities for the Chinese pragmatists to pursue economic modernization, and sharpened the conflict between them and the radicals who adhered to Mao Zedong’s ideological crusade. Drawing on both English and Chinese sources, this article examines the fluctuations of China-U.S. agricultural trade between 1972 and 1978. It focuses on the process of trade management in an ideologically charged environment, specifically, the interactions between the pragmatists and radicals under the dominance of Mao. It argues that this trade brought tremendous pressure on the very framework of that Chinese system, tested the boundaries of Mao’s revolutionary ideology, and encouraged a fundamental change of course in China.