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| 1971, April |
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| Following a competition in Japan, the U.S. table tennis team was invited by the Chinese for a goodwill visit. | 1 |
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| July |
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| U.S. secretary of state Henry Kissinger secretly traveled to China and met with Zhou Enlai. The planned visit of Pres. Richard Nixon for the following year was announced (July 15). | 2 |
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| Sept. 13 |
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| Lin Biao perished, allegedly in a plane crash in Outer Mongolia. He had reportedly clashed with Mao about continued use of the military to run the country and then planned a coup that had failed. His death occurred as he attempted to escape to the Soviet Union. The truth about the incident has never been conclusively revealed. The other leaders of the Cultural Revolution Group remained highly influential, even as the strident tone of the revolution was subdued. | 3 |
| The UN voted to admit the PRC to the General Assembly and to remove the Republic of China (Taiwan). | 4 |
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