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People's Daily Online>>Foreign Affairs

China-US relations have become irreversible

By Ding Gang (People's Daily Overseas Edition)

08:21, February 29, 2012

Edited and Translated by People's Daily Online

Forty years ago, on Feb. 27 of 1972, China and the United States signed the Joint Communique in Shanghai. The two large countries on the two sides of the Pacific Ocean ultimately took the first step of normalizing their relations after confronting each other for more than 20 years.

During past 40 years, the China-U.S. relations experienced many twists and turns but also made many splendid achievements. After 40 years, the China-U.S. relations have changed dramatically, and the most noticeable change is that the two countries have established a series of mechanisms for bilateral negotiations and dialogues and dealing with issues and also established some fundamental regulations for getting along with each other.

The 40-year history of the China-U.S. relations is a new path for a great emerging power getting along with a great traditional power. The future development of the China-U.S. relations will still rely on strengthening, widening and expanding this road.

Viewing the history and looking forward to future, we will see that the China-U.S. relations have become irreversible.

The normal relationship between the two countries, especially between two big countries like China and the United States, is not a relationship without frictions and divergence of views, but a relationship with a set of stable mechanisms for coping with and solving issues.

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（Editor：姚春）

Leave your comment8 comments

McKechnie at 2012-03-2964.231.163.*: The US should just nuke China and North Korea. Get rid of two old crows with one stone!
NanotechKing at 2012-03-21184.46.30.*: Any English speaking Chinese who would want to team with a genius and create an investment portfolio follow NanotechKing
Ian R at 2012-03-21123.116.112.*: Michael seems to forget history. The USA was instrumental with her allies in defeating the 1930s / 1940s barbarism of Germany and Japan. Both are now free, democratic, prosperous countries. A good study for Michael would be South Korea, rich, free and democratic as opposed to North Korea, China"s friend, undemocratic, not free and very poor.Greed and corruption? None of that in modern China of course.
michaelc at 2012-03-13112.115.6.*: China is a country built on history. Examining the countries history reveals the inner or hidden character of a country"s culture. Examining the USA"s brief history - we find their foreign policy littered with support for oppressive, suppressive, violently repressive regimes. Though an allegedly democratic country - the USA"s foreign policies show a decidedly colonial bent. They like to use foreign aid to build economic dependencies, then threaten to pull that foreign aid if the recipient doesn"t obey US policies - similar to creating a drug addiction/dependency.The USA is not the world"s leading citizen, but the world"s superpower bully. It"s brief history creates a lack of deep seated culture or more appropriately, a melting pot of competing cultures - with the current culture of greed and corruption reigning.China has a powerful and historical opportunity to lead the world as both a true superpower AND to demonstrate the true meaning of neighborly goodwill or global citizenship. I look forward to the new millennia of responsible government and social engineering - always en garde against both internal decay and external enemies, always evolving, always improving.
Sam Teng at 2012-03-06210.195.54.*: I am skeptical that US is genuinely interested in sharing rights and powers with China; and for that matter with any country. They have been domineering the world for far too long and its mentality as the sole global power is cast in concrete. They have also established their business far and wide. Any competition to the US as a superpower and business monopoly will be unacceptable to them. But the day will come when the US will see the benefits of mutual cooperation, thrusts and peaceful co-existence. This will be initiated by the American citizens themselves and not by another country.