File photo of Xinhua shows then US President Richard Nixon arrives in Beijing, China and is received by then Chinese Premier Zhou Enlai on Feb 21, 1972. [Photo/Xinhua]

-- Feb 21 - 28, 1972: Then US President Richard Nixon made a formal visit to China, with a China-US joint communique released in Shanghai on Feb 28. The joint communique, also called the Shanghai Communique, was the first of its kind between the two countries.

-- Jan 1, 1979: China and the United States officially established diplomatic relations at the ambassadorial level. The United States announced it would cut all "diplomatic relations" with Taiwan, withdraw its troops and terminate the US-Taiwan Mutual Defense Treaty on Jan 1, 1980.