sportsathletes to participate. The Chinese side specially purchased two airplanes from the Soviet Union and oxygen equipment from France. In 1959, the two sides conducted reconnaissance climbs. However, just as everything was ready, relations between the Chinese and Soviet Communist Parties broke down, and the joint climbing plan was shelved. The red light stayed on through the 1980s.
As early as before 1949, explorers from various countries had wanted to climb Everest from the Tibetan side via China or Nepal. Later, when Nepal opened its borders, explorers shifted their focus to the southern side of Everest.
In 1979, the Chinese government announced the opening of Everest and other peaks for climbing. By then, Sino-American relations had already been normalized. Americans saw the green light on China’s mountains and began to frequently visit Chinese mountainous regions. In 1985, Chinese and American climbers collaborated for the first time to climb Muztagh Ata in Xinjiang.
Jim Whittaker, the first American to conquer Everest, wrote to the China Mountaineering Association in July 1987, proposing that the United States fund the formation of a joint China-Soviet Union-USA mountaineering team to climb Everest in 1990. His proposal gained the support of Senator Edward Kennedy. In January 1988, the U.S. informed China about the discussions between Whittaker and the Soviet sports committee and mountaineering association. The Soviet Union also responded positively to the initiative.
In May 1989, the Chinese government approved the participation of the China Mountaineering Association in this climbing activity. The CMA decided that the Tibet Mountaineering Team would represent China, with the Tibet Sports Commission fully responsible for organization and preparation.
In July 1989, representatives from China, the Soviet Union, and the USA—Gonbu, Vladimir, and Whittaker—signed a protocol in Moscow, unanimously agreeing to form a joint mountaineering team under the principles of peace, equality, friendship, and mutual understanding, and reached agreements on relevant details. In August of the same year, the team leaders from the three countries—Lobsang Dawa, Vladimir, and Whittaker—further reached an agreement in Beijing regarding funding. From then on, the plan for the China-Soviet Union-USA joint team to climb Everest entered the implementation phase.