US presidents and first ladies who have visited China
Former US President Richard Nixon made a formal visit to China, with a China-US joint communiqué released in Shanghai on February 28, 1972. The joint communiqué, also called the Shanghai Communiqué, was the first of its kind between the two countries. This historical document laid the foundation for the development of China-US relations.
Editor's Note:
US President Donald Trump will kick off his first state visit to China on Wednesday, a trip which is expected to yield positive results for bilateral ties. A number of major business deals are due to be signed during the visit, as was the case with his predecessors. With the impending trip, now is a good time to look back at American presidents and first ladies who have come to China to strengthen bonds.
Richard Nixon
February 1972
Former US President Richard Nixon made a formal visit to China, with a China-US Joint Communiqué released in Shanghai on Feb 28, 1972. The Joint Communiqué, also called the Shanghai Communiqué, was the first of its kind between the two countries. This historic document laid the foundation for the development of China-US relations. Besides Beijing and Shanghai, Nixon also went to eastern Chinese city of Hangzhou during the epic trip.
Gerald R. Ford
December 1975
Former US president Gerald R. Ford visited China from Dec 1 to 5 in 1975. He announced the US would abide by the Sino-US Joint Communiqué, which guaranteed the establishment of China-US diplomatic relations in 1979. During the five-day visit in Beijing, he went to popular tourist attractions, including the Great Wall, Summer Palace and the Temple of Heaven.
Ronald Reagan
April - May 1984
Former US President Ronald Reagan officially visited China from April 26 to May 1, 1984. He was the first US president to visit China since the two countries established diplomatic relations in 1979. Reagan and his wife Nancy left their footprints in Beijing, Shanghai and Xi'an.
US President Ronald Reagan and his wife, Nancy Reagan, are pictured with the Terracotta Warriors in Xi'an, the capital of Northwest China's Shaanxi province, April 29, 1984. [Photo/IC]
George H.W. Bush
February 1989
Former US President George H.W. Bush visited China from Feb 25 to 26 in 1989, the second month after he took office. He spent 14 months as director of the US liaison office in China in the mid-1970s.
Bill Clinton
June - July 1998
Former US President Bill Clinton visited China from June 25 to July 3 in 1998. During the nine-day visit, he went to Beijing, Xi'an, Shanghai, Guilin and Hong Kong, where he talked with some local Chinese people and saw the great changes brought by China's reform and opening-up policy.
US President Bill Clinton, first lady Hillary Clinton, and their daughter, Chelsea, get close to the Terracotta Warriors during a tour in Xi'an, Northwest China's Shaanxi province, in June 1998. [Photo/IC]
George W. Bush
October 2001, February 2002, November 2005, August 2008
Former US President George W. Bush visited China for four times, respectively in 2001, 2002, 2005 and 2008. He paid an official visit to China from Nov 19 to 21 in 2005, during which he held talks with then Chinese President Hu Jintao. The two presidents exchanged views in an in-depth way on China-US relations and regional and international issues of common concern. They agreed to expand common understanding and deepen mutual trust to carry forward in an all-round manner the constructive and cooperative relations between the two countries in the 21st century.
Barack Obama
November 2009, November 2014, September 2016
Former US President Barack Obama paid a formal visit to China from Nov 15 to 18 in 2009. During the visit, he exchanged in-depth views on China-US relations and major international and regional issues with Chinese President Hu Jintao in Beijing. China and the US agreed that regular exchanges between leaders of the two countries are essential to the long-term, sound and steady growth of China-US relations. During his tenure, he visited China in 2014 and 2016 respectively to attend the APEC summit in Beijing and G20 summit in Hangzhou.
First lady Michelle Obama
March 2014
Former US first lady Michelle Obama arrived in Beijing on March 20, 2014 and started a seven-day visit with her mother and two daughters. The visit highlighted the China-US education cooperation and youth exchanges. She hoped to promote people-to-people exchanges between the two countries.
