Chinese Vice President Xi Jinping Attends Commemoration of 40th Anniversary of US President Nixon’s

The year 2012 is very commemorative to the Sino-US relationship. Forty years ago， from February 21 to 28， 1972， US President Richard Nixon paid a formal visit to China and on February 28 the Joint Communique of the United States of America and the People’s Republic of China (known as the Shanghai Communique) guiding the relations between the two countries was released. The door to exchanges between the two countries opened.

On February 16， 2012， a ceremony jointly sponsored by the Chinese People’s Institute of Foreign Affairs (CPIFA)， the Chinese People’s Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries (CPAFFC)， the China Institute of International Studies (CIIS) and the China Foundation of International Studies (CFIS) to mark the 40th anniversary of President Nixon’s visit to China and the release of the Shanghai Communique was held at the Daioyutai State Guesthouse. Chinese Vice President Xi Jinping and former US Secretary of State Henry Kissinger attended the event and spoke on the occasion.

In his speech， Vice President Xi said， 40 years ago， leaders of the older generation of the two countries—Chairman Mao Zedong， Premier Zhou Enlai， President Richard Nixon and Dr. Henry Kissinger—with great vision and political wisdom， made the decision to reach out to each other after years of estrangement， and a handshake across the Pacific Ocean opened a new chapter in Sino-US relations and changed the world.

The Vice President said， in the past 40 years， with the joint efforts made by generations of state leaders and people of various circles in both countries， Sino-US relationship has moved from antagonism and estrangement in the past to today’s partnership featuring mutual respect and win-win result. Despite ups and downs in the course of development， Sino-US relationship has surged ahead.

He said， China and the United States have gained a lot of experiences from the 40-year history of bilateral ties， one of which is that both sides should always adhere to the three Sino-US joint communiques. The two countries should constantly enhance mutual understanding and cultivate and deepen strategic trust.

“Under the new situation， we should unswervingly develop the Sino-US cooperative partnership based on mutual respect and mutual benefit， in accordance with the important consensus reached by President Hu Jintao and President Obama， the Vice President said.

He urged the two sides to strengthen contact at all levels， promote cooperation in the economic and trade fields， and enhance coordination on international and regional issues.

He stressed， to promote the healthy and stable development of Sino-US relations is not only the shared responsibility of the two countries， but also the common expectation of the international community. China is ready to work with the United States to push forward bilateral ties in the spirit of “seize the day， seize the hour”.

In his speech Henry Kissinger said， President Nixon’s visit to China 40 years ago has not only opened the door of US-China relationship， but also started a historical process of development of bilateral relationship， which eight US Presidents—Richard Nixon， Gerald Ford， Jimmy Carter， Ronald Reagan， George H.W. Bush， Bill Clinton， George W. Bush and Barack Obama—and Chinese leaders—Mao Zedong， Zhou Enlai， Deng Xiaoping， Jiang Zemin and Hu Jintao—have pushed forward.

He noted， world peace requires cooperation between the United States and China. The two sides should recognize each other’s national interests and conduct cooperation on the basis of common interests.

He said， the prospects of Sino-US relations would not change. Both the Obama Administration and the Republican Party prefer a positive relationship with China.

Vice Chairmen of the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress (NPC) Lu Yongxiang and Han Qide， Vice Chairpermen of the National Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) Tung Chee Hwa and Zhang Meiying， Former Vice Chairmen of the NPC Standing Committee Cheng Siwei and Gu Xiulian， Former Vice Chairman of the CPPCC National Committee Xu Kuangdi， and former US Secretary of State George P. Shultz， among over 200 people of various circles of both countries， attended the commemoration. Former State Councilor Tang Jia xuan presided over the event.