In 1970 and 1971, messages between Richard Nixon and Zhou Enlai passed through Pakistan’s president, Yahya Khan. Zhou’s reply said that the Chinese government welcomed an American envoy and that the timing “may be settled through the President of Pakistan.”
On July 8, 1971, Henry Kissinger arrived in Islamabad. At a banquet, Yahya Khan announced loudly that the heat had affected Kissinger’s health and invited him to rest for two days at the presidential villa. Kissinger instead flew secretly to Beijing and met Zhou Enlai.