Milestones

Milestones: 1972

(China Daily)
Updated: 2009-09-30 05:12

Premier Zhou Enlai shakes hands with Richard Nixon, the first US president to visit the People's Republic of China, in Beijing on Feb 21, 1972. Nixon's week-long visit ends decades of hostility between the two countries and sees the signing of the Shanghai Communique, a harbinger of the development of Sino-US relations in the decades to come. Xinhua

-- On Feb 21, 1972, US President Richard Nixon arrives in Beijing to begin his historic visit to China. The visit starts the process of normalizing relations between the two countries.

-- In May, China's legitimate rights are subsequently restored in the World Health Organization, the Inter-Governmental Maritime Consultative Organization and the International Telecommunication Union.

-- Japanese Prime Minister Kakuei Tanaka visits China in September. On Sept 29, Chinese and Japanese governments declare an end to the abnormal state of affairs in bilateral relations and establishment of diplomatic relations.