U.S. President Richard Nixon had promised during his visit to China, that if he were re-elected in 1972’s presidential election, he would complete the normalization of ties with China. But that promise was never realized by neither Nixon nor his successor Gerald Ford. In 1975, the Vietnam War ended. In 1976, China’s first generation of leaders, Chairman Mao and Premier Zhou Enlai passed away. Both countries were focusing on domestic affairs.