This February witnesses the 35th anniversary of U.S. President Richard Nixon's icebreaking trip to China and the signing of the Shanghai Communique between the two countries. The historical events turned a new leaf in the bilateral relations between the two nations. The sometimes turbulent, but always progressive years both sides have experienced and benefited from since then can be viewed as the best salute to that turning point in history.

The world is far different today from what it was 35 years ago. Confrontations have given way to dialogues and cooperation in solving international and regional issues, while globalization has become the trend of the world economy.

With the end of the Cold War, the United States has become the world's only superpower, enjoying economic, political and military supremacy. And after almost 30 years of reforms and opening up, China has emerged from a previously isolated and backward nation as a robust regional power.

In 1972, identical strategic concerns drove China and the United States to rapprochement after more than two-decade-long hostilities. Since then, their common strategic interests have continued to expand and deepen.

The bilateral relations have reached an unprecedented level with ever-increasing political, cultural, educational and personnel exchanges. The two economies are now more closely interwoven with each other, with bilateral trade volume exceeding $260 billion in 2006.

In the international arena, they have cooperated in the fields of antiterrorism, nuclear nonproliferation, environment protection and disease control. The two have also joined hands in their efforts to address regional issues, such as the six-party talks on the nuclear programs of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea.

As their common interests expand, however, one cannot ignore the new differences that have cropped up between China and the United States. China's role as a "rising power," its trade surplus, the exchange rate between the yuan and the U.S. dollar and the protection of intellectual property rights are the most frequently debated topics among many others. There is no doubt that of all the differences, the Taiwan issue still remains the most sensitive in the bilateral relations. Though complicated, these issues are not impossible to solve, so long as political leaders from the two sides take a strategic approach and handle them with care and prudence, just like what their predecessors did 35 years ago.

Over the past years, the two countries have established communication and crisis management mechanisms at various levels. In 2005 and 2006 alone, three high-level political dialogues and one economic strategic dialogue were held between Beijing and Washington. The second economic strategic dialogue is expected in May. These initiatives have provided effective platforms for the two sides to settle disputes and foster mutual understanding and common interests.

History has proved that a healthy bilateral relationship between China, the world's largest developing country, and the United States, the world's largest developed country, not only serves the fundamental interests of two sides in particular, but also contributes to world peace and development in general.

Bearing this in mind, the spirit of mutual respect, cooperation and dialogue, which is fully demonstrated in the historical Shanghai Communique, is still of great relevance to Sino-U.S. relations today. n