Moving toward a reconciliation of civilizations

Since 30 years ago we have traveled a long journey in our relations.

When then US president Jimmy Carter sent me to China in the summer of 1978 to initiate the secret negotiations that resulted in December 1978 in the normalization of US-China relations, only 1,200 foreigners lived in Beijing. Just the other day 1,100 American officials moved into the new US Embassy building - and it is estimated that some 150,000 foreigners now live in Beijing.

Our world is different, better, and safer because of that normalization.