Celebrating 40 years of China-US friendship
AN exhibition commemorating the 40th anniversary of the establishment of China-US diplomatic relations was launched at the Jing’an District Culture Center yesterday.
The 220 photographs in the “Trans-Pacific Exchange and Cooperation” exhibition are of historical moments such as the visit to China by then US President Richard Nixon, the issue of the “Shanghai Communique” in 1972, as well as the publication of the “Joint Communique on Establishment of Diplomatic Relations” in 1978, and visits to China by other American presidents and politicians.
It also shows moments in the history of trade relations and people-to-people exchanges.
One photo shows the Liulinhai ocean liner on its maiden voyage from Shanghai to Seattle in 1979, symbolizing the resumption of maritime shipping after a break of 30 years.
Others show touching moments such as an American woman in Shanghai who made a donation to help victims of the Wenchuan earthquake in 2008 and an American volunteer helping a visitor during the 2010 World Expo in Shanghai.
Most of the photos had been exhibited previously at the Shanghai Archives and in Houston and were moved to Jing’an yesterday along with other pictures showcasing the fruits of exchange and cooperation in culture, business, trade and other areas between the people of Jing’an and different parts of the United States.
The exhibition
will run through December 28.
“China-US relations are the most important bilateral relations in today’s world,” said Jing Ying, vice president of the Shanghai People’s Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries.
“As an important window on the reform and openingup of China, Shanghai has participated in and witnessed the happening and development of China-US relations,” she said. “In the 40 years since the establishment of China-US diplomatic relations, the links, contacts and interactions between Shanghai and the US local governments, including those taking place spontaneously between the people of the two sides, have enriched the in-depth development of relations between the two countries.”
Owen Messick, China president of doTERRA, an essential oils company, said: “The historic pictures remind you how many links we have between the two countries, so many years of people exchanges, government exchanges, companies working together. It’s a really long and rich history.”