How the US and China went from allies to killing each other in 8 years | Part 2 of 4 #history

History Onion · 2:59

On May 14, 2026, Trump shook Xi Jinping's hand on the steps of the Great Hall. The last time an American president did that with a Chinese leader, they were on the same side of a world war — and eight years later they were killing each other in Korea. Part 2 of *The China-America Bargain* — from the Cairo Conference handshake of November 1943 through Madame Chiang's Congress speech, Stilwell's feud with Chiang, Mao at Yan'an, the 1949 PRC declaration, McCarthy's "Who lost China?" purge of the State Department, MacArthur's Inchon landing, the Chinese crossing of the Yalu, and a 20-year silence that no American would dare break — until one of them lied his way into Beijing. Follow for Part 3 — *The Opening* (1971–2001). Some scenes are cinematic reconstructions of documented events. All quotes, dates, and sources are historically verified.