Communique 'guiding' ideal for relations

Leading diplomats from the United States and China encourage the two countries to reexamine the Shanghai Communique, which they called an "extraordinary diplomatic document" to improve bilateral relations.

The Shanghai Communique was issued in February 1972 by then US president Richard Nixon and then Chinese premier Zhou Enlai at the end of Nixon's historic weeklong visit to China.

The Communique is "one of the most extraordinary diplomatic documents" and is "highly unusual" because in the statements the two countries agreed to disagree, said former US secretary of state Henry Kissinger in a video message at a forum commemorating the 50th anniversary of the signing of the document.

He recalled his secret trip to Beijing in 1971 when he was then assistant to the president for national security affairs. He met with Zhou and they conducted almost nonstop meetings over 2.5 days.

Their discussions about mutual interest and also disagreements between the two countries laid the core foundation for what would become the Shanghai Communique.

During the meeting, Kissinger recalled that they agreed the discussion should state the differences between the two sides in order to highlight whatever agreements might be made.

As a result, the Communique stated opposing views on a number of subjects, but it also stated four or five agreements of great significance, and it included a statement about cooperation between the two sides, Kissinger said.

"It has become a guiding principle of the relationship between our two countries. I simply want to say that the safety of the world depends on the two most advanced countries to remain a permanent dialogue and achieve the settlement of disagreements in a collaborative attitude."

At the forum co-hosted by AmCham Shanghai, Committee of 100 and the National Committee on US-China Relations in Shanghai, Zhou Bingde, niece of Zhou Enlai, told the audience that the past half century has shown "countless times" that despite "all the sensitivity causing rifts" between China and the US, the two largest economies in the world share immense common interests.

"We witnessed the fruitful achievements and promising future between our two countries in the past 50 years," she said.

"Deep in my heart, I believe he (Zhou Enlai) would have hoped that the long-standing friendship between China and the US would continue its course based on the spirit of seeking common ground and keeping differences."

Gary Locke, former US ambassador to China, said the US-China trade has helped to lift hundreds of millions of people out of poverty in the past four decades.

"Today, we are all the beneficiaries of that historic week that changed the world," he said.

Recent foreign direct investment from China created more than 2 million jobs in the US.

Principles of respect

However, Locke also noted that the world today is very different from 50 years ago as technological innovation and scientific progress, while beneficial to humankind, have also resulted in uncertainty and insecurity.

Five decades ago, the US and China agreed that they could disagree, and that they should follow the principles of respect for sovereignty and territorial integrity.

"These are principles that our modern day leaders and politicians should reexamine," Locke said.

Chinese Ambassador to the US Qin Gang pointed to global challenges such as climate change, energy security, food security and the pandemic as "the common enemy" that China and the US should tackle together.

Qin made the remarks when delivering a speech at an event to mark the 50th anniversary of Nixon's visit to China.

"The new 'Cold War' should not be used to define the time we live in. Competition and confrontation should not be the keynote of China-US relations," Qin said.

"But China-US relations should not be like the intensely confrontational American football match. There should be no offensive team or defensive team, no touchdown, no quarterback sack."