The immediate diplomatic impact, of course, was to reshape Eurasia’s geopolitical balance and put the Soviet Union on the defensive. But the long-term outcome of America’s rapprochement with China became visible only recently, with the economic integration of the People’s Republic into the world economy.
加州克莱蒙特——40年前美国总统理查德·尼克松踏上访华之路时，他不可能想象到自己这次赌博会释放多大能量。立竿见影的外交影响当然是重塑欧亚大陆的地缘政治平衡，逼迫苏联采取守势。但美中关系恢复的长期结果近期才开始显现，中华人民共和国实现了与世界经济的融合。