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A historic masterstroke of China-U.S. diplomacy with global significance

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Chinese President Hu Jintao is now in the United States for a state visit aimed at boosting China-U.S. ties and expanding common ground on important regional and global affairs.

Chinese President Hu Jintao and US President Barack Obama attend a joint news conference in the East Room at the White House in Washington, January 19, 2011. [Xinhua/Li Xueren]

"I have come to the United States to increase mutual trust, enhance friendship, deepen cooperation and push forward the positive, cooperative and comprehensive China-U.S. relationship for the 21st century," Hu said at the full-honors welcome ceremony at the White House on Wednesday.

Citing the 32-year-old U.S.-China diplomatic relationship, U.S. President Barack Obama said that with Hu's visit, the two sides "can lay the foundation for the next 30 years."

Most prominent in the four-day tour, Hu's first trip abroad in the new year, was the Wednesday summit between the two presidents, where the two countries agreed to establish a cooperative partnership based on mutual respect and mutual benefit.

They were also expected to discuss Korean Peninsula denuclearization and other issues of common concern and reaffirm their commitment to working together with other countries to build a harmonious world of lasting peace and common prosperity.

Hailed by some international relations experts as the real start of 2011, the historic visit is expected not only to steer the strategic China-U.S. relationship forward into a bright future, but also to shed new light on major international conflicts and disputes and garner a deeper global commitment to world peace and development.

"I am convinced that there is a great opportunity to start a new era in U.S.-China relations," former U.S. Secretary of State Henry Kissinger told Xinhua in a recent interview. "I think this can be a visit of fundamental importance in charting the future."

Since their establishment in 1979, the China-U.S. diplomatic relations have witnessed numerous ups and downs. Thanks to the courage, wisdom and patience on both sides, cooperation has now become the defining theme of the trans-Pacific interactions.

Building on the same spirit, the latest Hu-Obama summit bears witness to the strategic foresight, political wisdom and global responsibilities of the leaders of the two great nations.

With China and the United States facing common opportunities and challenges, the two sides should foster close and permanent cooperation and "have to find means of working together," added the 87-year-old U.S. diplomatic veteran, whose highly confidential visit to China in 1971 paved the way for the eventual normalization of U.S.-China ties.

Kissinger's comments resonated with the thinking of many others, including David Shambaugh. The renowned U.S. expert on Chinese politics and foreign policy said that Hu's ongoing visit would "arrest the hemorrhaging of the past year" and "advance common cause where possible."

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