Shanghai Communique: Pragmatic Yet Far Reaching

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Last updated at: (Beijing Time) Wednesday, February 27, 2002

Shanghai Communique: Pragmatic Yet Far Reaching

The 30th anniversary of a joint communique will fall on February 28 to mark the normalization of bilateral relations between China and the United States.

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The 30th anniversary of a joint communique will fall on February 28 to mark the normalization of bilateral relations between China and the United States.

Known as the Shanghai Communique, the document ended 22 years of separation and antagonism between the two countries, and ushered in a new age in the normalization of Sion-U.S. relations.

Thirty years have elapsed. History has witnessed the vicissitude of the two countries and the world at large. Sino-U.S. relations, experiencing twists and turns, are consequently on its road to the constructive relations of cooperation.

This historical document, under the new circumstances, is now shedding pragmatic yet strategic and valuable enlightenment.

In early 1970s, the world was overshadowed with the Cold War impasse. Tremendous hostility lied between China and the United States.

With strategic insight and outstanding courage, leaders of the two countries, however, tried to seek common interests while transcending those conflicts and divergence.

The principled yet flexible communique stressed their shared strategic concern over safeguarding the world peace and stability.

Owing to the persisting efforts from the Chinese side, China and the United States, in respective ways, expressed their different views on the international situation and bilateral relations in the communique, setting new forms for seeking common ground while reserving differences.

As a milestone in Sino-U.S. relations, the Shanghai Communique set forth basic principles in guiding their bilateral relations.

The U.S. "acknowledged" for the first time in its relation with China that there is only one China and Taiwan is a part of it.

Both sides agreed to deal with international and bilateral relations on the basis of five principles of peaceful coexistence, willing to push forward their ties and exchanges concerning science, technology, culture, sports, media as well as trade.

Together with the joint communique on the establishment of Sino- U.S. diplomatic relations and the Sino-U.S. joint communique on the U.S. arms sales to Taiwan that followed, the Shanghai Communique became a part of the political foundation to guide the development of Sino-U.S. relations.

With the termination of the Cold War, the international arena has been themed on peace and development.

Against the backdrop of political multipolarization and economic globalization today, China and the United States share increasingly more common interests in various fields, yet have reduced many differences comparatively.

Thirty years ago, Sino-U.S. trade volume was next to nothing; in 2001, the bilateral trade volume totaled 80.48 billion U.S. dollars. The United States is now China's second largest trade partner, while China the fourth largest trade partner of the United States.

Besides healthy and sturdy economic ties, both countries are qualified to boast their exchanges of personnel. President Richard Nixon once said the two peoples were living in isolation of anger, yet today, millions of people from both countries travel across the largest ocean every year.

China and the U.S. have also made fruitful achievements in fields of science, technology, education, culture, environment and energy.

Although the specific strategic basis that led to the thaw of Sino-U.S. relations in 1972 no longer exists, the two countries share more common interests and obligations in maintaining regional and global peace, stability and economic prosperity, as well as in fight against terrorism and international crime, disarmament and arms control, non-proliferation, crisis-prevention and environmental issues.

In the new century, China has cooperated closely with the U.S. in counter-terrorism, and bilateral dialogues on human right issues have been resumed and made progress. China has noticed that the U.S. over and over again reiterated its one-China policy.

U.S. President George Bush's recent China tour, which " coincided with" the 30th anniversary of Nixon's "ice-breaking" journey to China, served to push forward the bilateral relations.

The Shanghai Communique has made it clear that the bilateral relations should be handled with far-sighted and strategic perspectives, while channels of understanding and communication should be made smooth.

On the basis of "seeking common grounds while reserving differences," equality and mutual benefits as well as peaceful coexistence, China and the U.S. will find final solutions to their problems, and help promote the bilateral relations in a healthy and constructive way.

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