Nixon in China: How a US presidential trip made history 50 years ago

Five decades have passed since the historic visit to the People’s Republic of China by then-US president Richard Nixon. China’s Communist Party rulers made the invitation after a secret visit by US security advisor Henry Kissenger. During the seven-day trip starting February 21, 1972, Chairman Mao Zedong and Premier Zhou Enlai would host the visiting US delegation led by Nixon who was looking for solutions to diplomatic issues regarding the Soviet Union, Vietnam. Beijing saw the trip as a way to end decades of diplomatic isolation, ease tension on the Korean peninsula and press its claims to Taiwan. Here’s a look at the key events leading up to the first visit by a US president to the People’s Republic of China, a trip that Nixon and others described as "the week that changed the world". Note: this video has been updated to correct a map showing China's borders at the time of the events described.