In light of President Nixon's upcoming trip to China, Congressman Mailliard argues the American position of isolating the People's Republic of China has lead to negative consequences. He favors normalizing relations with the mainland while continuing relations with Taiwan. Following, he looks at how this would impact the neighboring countries in East and Southeast Asia. He believes any serious discussion of power in Asia must also include Japan, where trade relations with the U.S. are important. He further argues that to avoid more "Vietnams" the U.S. must break down the barriers between it and China.