only Nixon could go to China

proverb

Only a politician or leader with an impeccable reputation of upholding particular political values could perform an action in seeming defiance of them without jeopardizing his support or credibility.

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Meanings

proverb

alternative only Nixon can go to China · alternative it took Nixon to go to China

  1. Only a politician or leader with an impeccable reputation of upholding particular political values could perform an action in seeming defiance of them without jeopardizing his support or credibility.

Origin

A reference to U.S. President Richard Nixon's 1972 establishment of direct diplomatic relations with, and personal visit to, the People's Republic of China. Nixon's unyielding opposition to Communism had been well-known.

Full word history & related roots →
Cite this entry
APA

only Nixon could go to China. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/only%20Nixon%20could%20go%20to%20China

MLA

“only Nixon could go to China.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/only%20Nixon%20could%20go%20to%20China. Accessed November 5, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “only Nixon could go to China,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/only%20Nixon%20could%20go%20to%20China.

Source: only Nixon could go to China on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.