US presidents' visits strengthened relations

Editor's note: US President Donald Trump started his first trip to China on Wednesday. Here is a brief history of the visits by the previous US presidents, which made a big impression on many Chinese.

1. Richard Nixon - first US president to visit the Chinese mainland

Dates: Feb 21-28, 1972

Places: Beijing, Hangzhou, Shanghai

Richard Nixon's groundbreaking visit was the first top-level contact between Beijing and Washington since the founding of the People's Republic of China in 1949. The historic trip was the turning point that led to the normalization of China-US relations.

In the visit, Nixon met Chairman Mao Zedong and had talks with Zhou Enlai, then premier. On Feb 28, the two sides issued the Shanghai Communique.

Nixon said at the Great Wall:

"As I walked along the wall ... I thought about the fact that the wall tells us that China has a great history and that the people who built this wonder of the world also have a great future."

2. Gerald Ford - signaled continuation of rapprochement

Dates: Dec 1-5, 1975

Place: Beijing

Gerald Ford was the first US president to visit after the thaw in China-US relations. Both nations reaffirmed their commitment to the 1972 Shanghai Communique.

Ford visited the Temple of Heaven, the Great Wall and the Summer Palace.

Ford's toast at his farewell event:

"It was certainly common perceptions and common interests which brought our countries together four years ago."

3. Ronald Reagan - visit included the Terracotta Warriors

Dates: April 26-May 1, 1984

Places: Beijing, Xi'an, Shanghai

Ronald Reagan, accompanied by his wife, Nancy, was the first US president to visit the Terracotta Warriors.

Reagan said in a speech at the Great Hall of the People:

"On many vital questions of our time, there is little difference between the American and Chinese people."

4. George H.W. Bush - visited China soon after taking office

Dates: Feb 25-26, 1989

Place: Beijing

George H.W. Bush departed on his official visit to China one month after he took office in 1989, the soonest among all the presidents.

Bush's toast at the welcome banquet:

"Based on the bedrock principle that there is but one China, we have found ways to address Taiwan constructively without rancor."

5. Bill Clinton - visited the most Chinese cities in one trip

Dates: June 25-July 3, 1998

Places: Xi'an, Beijing, Shanghai, Guilin, Hong Kong

Bill Clinton visited five Chinese cities during his nine-day trip. He went to famous historical sites, addressed Peking University, spoke to Shanghai citizens on a radio broadcast and toured the Lijiang River in Guilin, the Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region.

Clinton said at the Great Wall:

"It was now a symbol which China used to welcome visitors, rather than to keep them out."

6. George W. Bush - visited China most frequently

Dates: Oct 18-20, 2001; Feb 21-22, 2002; Nov 19-21, 2005; Aug 7-11, 2008

Places: Shanghai, Beijing

George W. Bush attended the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation Leaders' Meeting in Shanghai in 2001 and made three other trips, in 2002, 2005 and 2008. In his 2005 visit, he took a bicycle ride, in memory of his youth, when he rode across Beijing in 1975 to visit his parents, who worked in the Chinese capital.

Bush speaking at Tsinghua University in 2002:

"China is on a rising path, and America welcomes the emergence of a strong and peaceful and prosperous China."

7. Barack Obama - showed the greatest diversity in his visits

Dates: Nov 15-18, 2009; Nov 10-12, 2014; Sept 3-5, 2016

Places: Beijing, Shanghai, Hangzhou

Obama's state visits included official and informal meetings. On the night of Nov 11, 2014, President Xi Jinping and Obama had an informal meeting at Yingtai in the Zhongnanhai leadership compound in Beijing after APEC meetings. On Sept 3, 2016, during the G20 Summit in Hangzhou, they took a stroll along West Lake and stopped for tea.

Obama said at the Great Wall:

"I bring a great admiration for Chinese civilization, and I bring greetings from the American people."

China Daily - Xinhua