Document that changed the world turns 45

A document issued 45 years ago will continue to play an important role in guiding China-US relations and communications, and even help reconcile conflicts between the world's two biggest economic powers, according to those attending a ceremony on Tuesday in California.

Some 30 figures from political, research and business circles in China and the United States gathered to commemorate the 45th anniversary of the signing and inception of the China-US Joint Communique, known as the Shanghai Communique, at the Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum in Yorba Linda, California.

The important diplomatic document was issued on Feb 28, 1972, during Nixon's historic visit to China.

"The document still has a far-reaching impact on the future development of our bilateral relations, one of the most important bilateral relationships in the world," said Liu Jian, consul general at the Chinese consulate in Los Angeles, who attended the ceremony.

"We must thank our old leaders for their vision and wisdom," he added. "Through the communique, our two governments clarified their stance on the Taiwan question and made it very clear that there is only one China," he said.

In 1972, Nixon became the first US president to visit China, making a one-week trip at the invitation of then-premier Zhou Enlai, a trip that Nixon later described as "the week that changed the world".

During his stay, leaders on both sides expressed a desire for normalized relations after nearly a quarter-century of separation and isolation. Working through days and nights, Nixon and his team put their heads together with Chinese counterparts to hammer out the first diplomatic document in contemporary history to serve as the guiding framework for China-US relations.

The communique's pivotal role hinged on the Taiwan question. The United States acknowledged "that all Chinese on either side of the Taiwan Strait maintain there is but one China and that Taiwan is a part of China. The United States government does not challenge that position."

Christopher Cox, Nixon's grandson, said the China-US relationship in the past 45 years has undergone tremendous change and progress is taking place in many fields, including politics, trade, culture, and people-to-people communications.

"What my grandfather did in 1972 is so important that we should carry the spirit forward as we consider a healthy and strong relationship between the US and China in the 21st century," he added.

junechang@chinadailyusa.com