1. Establishment of Diplomatic Relations

China and the U.S. issued "Joint Communiqué on the Establishment of Diplomatic Relations between the People's Republic of China and the United States of America" on December 16, 1978. China and the U.S. formally established diplomatic relations at ambassadorial level on January 1, 1979.


2.Summary of the Normalization of China-U.S. Relations and the Bilateral Relations since the Establishment of Diplomatic Relations between the Two Countries

In February 1972, U.S. President Richard Nixon visited China at the invitation of Zhou Enlai, Premier of the State Council of the People's Republic of China. The door to contact and exchanges between China and the U.S. was reopened. During Nixon's visit to China, China and the U.S. issued the " Joint Communique between the People's Republic of China and the United States of America" ( also referred as the "Shanghai Communiqué") on February 28, 1972. U.S. President Gerald Ford visited China in December 1975. On January 1, 1979, China and the U.S. formally established diplomatic relations at ambassadorial level. The U.S. announced the severance of its so-called diplomatic ties with Taiwan, the withdrawal of its troops from Taiwan and the ceasing of the U.S.-Taiwan Joint Defense Treaty within the year (also referred as "sever diplomatic ties, abrogate the Treaty and withdraw troops"). In January 1979, China's leader Deng Xiaoping visited the U.S. at the invitation of U.S. President Jimmy Carter, opening a new chapter in the history of China-U.S. relations. On August 17, 1982, the Chinese and U.S. Governments issued the "China-U.S. August 17 Communiqué". The U.S. side undertook in the communique that "it does not seek to carry out a long-term policy of arms sales to Taiwan, that its arms sales to Taiwan will not exceed, either in qualitative or in quantitative terms, the level of those supplied in recent years since the establishment of diplomatic relations between the United States and China, and that it intends gradually to reduce its sale of arms to Taiwan, leading, over a period of time, to a final resolution". The three China-U.S. Joint Communiques ( the "Shanghai Communiqué", the "Joint Communique on the Establishment of Diplomatic relations between the People's Republic of China and the United States of America" and the "China-U.S. August 17 Communiqué") constitute the documents guiding the development of China-U.S. relations.

Since the establishment of diplomatic relations, China and the U.S. have conducted exchanges and cooperation in the extensive fields of politics, economy, education, culture, science and technology, military, etc. In January 1984, Chinese Premier visited the U.S. In April 1984, U.S. President Ronald Reagan visited China. In July 1985, Chinese President Li Xiannian visited the U.S., which was the first visit to the U.S. by a Chinese head of state. In February 1989, U.S. President George Bush paid a working visit to China. Wan Li, Chairman of the Standing Committee of National People's Congress of China visited the U.S. in May 1989.

After the political turmoil in Beijing in 1989, the U.S. announced "sanctions" against China and suspended high-level exchanges between the two countries, which led to the serious worsening of the bilateral relations.

Respectively in July and December of 1989, U.S. President George Bush twice sent Brent Scrowcroft, Advisor to the President for National Security Affairs, as his special envoy to visit China. From November 31 to December 1, 1990, Chinese Foreign Minister Qian Qichen visited the U.S. at the invitation of James Baker, U.S. Secretary of State. In November 1991, U.S. Secretary of State Baker visited China upon invitation. In 1992, the U.S. Government announced the sale of 150 F-16 fighter aircrafts to Taiwan, which seriously violated the China-U.S. August 17 Communique and again undermined the bilateral relations.

On November 19, 1993, Chinese President Jiang Zemin held his first official meeting with U.S. President Bill Clinton during the APEC Leaders Informal Meeting in Seattle. The two leaders stated that for the common interests of both countries, China and the U.S. should view and handle their relations from a strategic and 21st- century perspective, and properly handle the differences between them. The two leaders held several meetings on the occasion of the APEC Informal Leaders Meeting ever since then.

In May 1995, the U.S. Government announced its decision to permit Lee Teng-hui to pay a "private visit" to the U.S. in June of the same year. China-U.S. relations plummeted to its lowest point. The Chinese Government expressed its strong opposition and made solemn respresentation to the U.S. Government over such an act of interfering with China's internal affairs and infringing upon China's sovereignty.

From the end of October to the beginning of November, 1997, Chinese President Jiang Zemin paid a state visit to the U.S. at the invitation of U.S. President Bill Clinton, which was the first state visit to the U.S. by Chinese head of state in 12 years. This visit has achieved the goal of enhancing mutual understanding, broadening common ground, developing cooperation and building a future together, and ushered the China-U.S. relations to a new stage. During the visit, the two sides signed the "Joint China-U.S. Statement" on October 29. The two sides agreed in the Statement to approach China-U.S. relations on the basis of the principles of the three China-U.S. Joint Communiques and build towards a constructive strategic partnership between China and the U.S. The two sides agreed to further promote cooperation in bilateral economic and trade relations, expand exchanges and cooperation in the fields of environment protection, energy, science and technology, law, education, culture, etc. The U.S. side reiterated in the "Joint China-U.S. Statement" that it adheres to its "one China" policy and the principles set forth in the three China-U.S. Joint Communiques. U.S. leaders reiterated publicly and unequivocally that the U.S. Government does not support the ideas of "Two Chinas" or "One China, One Taiwan", does not support Taiwan's independence, does not support Taiwan's membership in the UN, and will handle the issue of U.S. arms sales to Taiwan in accordance with the principles laid by the China-U.S. August 17 Communique. Besides Washington, D.C., President Jiang visited Honolulu, Williamsburg, Philadelphia, New York, Boston and Los Angeles. Through the speeches, press interviews and other activities, President Jiang had met with a broad spectrum of personage in the U.S., including members of U.S. congress, major news media, the business community and academic circles, which enhanced the American people's understanding of China.

In January 1998, during U.S. Secretary of Defense William Cohen's visit to China, the two sides signed the Agreement between the Ministry of Defense of China and the U.S. Department of Defense on Establishing a Consultation Mechanism to Strengthen Military Maritime Safety. From April 29 to May 1, U.S. Secretary of State Madeline Albright visited China. The foreign ministers of the two countries signed the Agreement Between the Government of the People's Republic of China and the Government of the United States of America on the Establishment of Direct Secure Telephone Link. On May 25, Chinese President Jiang Zemin and U.S. President Bill Clinton had their first talk through the newly established direct secure telephone link, exchanging views on the situation in South Asia and China-U.S. Relations. On June 1 - 2, Samuel Burger, U.S. Advisor to the President for National Security Affairs visited China. On June 3, U.S. President Bill Clinton announced the extension of China's MFN trading status for another year.

From June 25 to July 3, U.S. President Bill Clinton paid a state visit to China at the invitation of President Jiang Zemin. President Jiang Zemin and President Clinton reached important consensus on a wide range of issues in their talks. The two sides agreed that China and U.S. should further strengthen dialogues and cooperation on major international issues. The two sides agreed to continue in concerted efforts to make greater strides towards the goal of building a constructive strategic partnership between China and the U.S. gearing towards the 21st century. The two sides decided not to target the strategic nuclear weapons under their respective control at each other. The two sides agreed to further strengthen the strategic dialogue in economic and financial sector so as to make positive contribution to a healthy development of world economy and finance. The two sides issued the Joint Statement on the Negotiation of the Protocol to the Biological Weapons Convention and the Joint Statement on Banning Anti-Personnel Landmines. The two sides held in-depth discussions on the question of nuclear proliferation in South Asia and issued the Joint China-U.S. Statement on the Issue of South Asia. The two sides agreed to continue to strengthen and expand cooperation and exchanges in the vast fields of politics, economy and trade, environment protection, energy, culture, education, science and technology, military, law, etc. Besides Beijing, President Clinton visited Xi'an, Shanghai, Guilin and Hong Kong Special Administrative Region.

On July 27, Chinese Foreign Minister Tang Jiaxuan met with U.S. Secretary of State Madeline Albright during the Foreign Ministers Meeting of ASEAN Regional Forum in Manila. In September, Zhang Wannian, Vice Chairman of the Central Military Commission of China visited the U.S. From September 27 to 29, Foreign Minister Tang Jiaxuan visited the U.S. On November 16, during the sixth APEC Informal Leaders Meeting in Kuala Lumpur of Malaysia, President Jiang Zemin met with U.S. Vice President Al Gore , who attended the meeting on behalf of President Clinton.

On January 1, 1999, President Jiang Zemin and President Bill Clinton exchanged congratulatory letters on the occation of the 20th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and the U.S. From March 1 to 2, U.S. Secretary of State Madeline Albright visited China. On March 27, Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesperson expressed China's strong opposition to the U.S. Government's decision to sponsor a China-related motion on the 55th Conference of the U.N. Human Rights Commission in Geneva.

From April 4 to 14, 1999, Chinese Premier Zhu Rongji paid an official visit to the U.S. at the invitation of U.S. President Bill Clinton, which was the first visit to the U.S. by a Chinese Premier in 15 years. Premier Zhu and his entourage were accorded warm welcome and reception by the U.S. Government and the American people of all circles. Premier Zhu Rongji and U.S. President Bill Clinton held two rounds of talks during the visit and had an extensive and in-depth discussion on China-U.S. relations and international and regional issues of mutual interest. Both sides indicated that they attached great importance to the development of China-U.S. relations and would continue in their concerted efforts to build toward a constructive strategic partnership between China and the U.S. On April 9, Premier Zhu Rongji and U.S. Vice President Al Gore co-chaired the opening ceremony of the 2nd session of China-U.S. Forum on Environment and Development. On April 10, Premier Zhu Rongji and President Clinton issued a joint statement on the issue of China's accession to the WTO in Washington, D.C., in which the U.S. Government expressed its commitment to firmly support China's accession to the WTO in 1999. Premier Zhu Rongji also elaborated China's principled position on the questions of Taiwan, human rights, Kosovo, etc. Besides Washington, D.C., Premier Zhu Rongji visited Los Angeles, Denver, Chicago, New York and Boston.

On April 23, the "no motion" measure introduced by China was passed on the 55th conference of the UN Human Rights Commission in Geneva, which voided the so-called resolution on China's human rights situation sponsored by the U.S. before it reached the conference for vote.

At 5:45 a.m. of May 8, Beijing time, the U.S.-led NATO brazenly fired five bombs from different angles on the Chinese Embassy in the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, which caused three Chinese journalists dead, more than twenty Embassy staff injured, and the Embassy building seriously damaged. On the morning of the same day, the Chinese Government issued a statement, expressing its utmost indignation and severe condemnation of such brutal act and lodging its strongest protest. On the afternoon of the same day, Chinese Vice Foreign Minister Wang Yingfan called in James Sasser, U.S. Ambassador to China, and made a solemn representation to the U.S. side on U.S.-led NATO's bombing of the Chinese Embassy in the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia and lodged the strongest protest to the U.S.-led NATO. On May 9, U.S. President Clinton sent a letter to President Jiang Zemin, in which Clinton expressed his apology and sincere condolence for "the tragic situation and human losses in Chinese Embassy in Belgrade yesterday". On May 10, the Foreign Ministry Spokesperson issued an announcement, declaring the postponement of the high-level military contacts between the armed forces of China and the U.S., China-U.S. consultations in the fields of proliferation prevention, arms control and international security and the suspension of the dialogue on human rights between the two countries. On the afternoon of the same day, Foreign Minister Tang Jiaxuan made a solemn representation again to James Sasser, U.S. Ambassador to China, demanding that the U.S. side apologize to the Chinese Government, the Chinese people and the relatives of the victims in an open and official manner, carry out a complete and thorough investigation of the bombing incident, promptly make public the detailed results of the investigation and severely punish those responsible. On May 14, President Jiang Zemin had a phone talk with President Clinton at the latter's request. President Clinton expressed his regrets over the bombing incident and undertook to order a thorough and complete investigation of the incident. On June 16, Thomas Pickering, U.S. Under Secretary of State and special envoy to U.S. President, visited China and presented to the Chinese Government a U.S. Government report on the result of its investigation into the U.S.-led NATO's bombing of the Chinese Embassy in the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia. On July 10, the Chinese women's soccer team lost to the U.S. team by 4 to 5, ranking the second in the final of the Third Women Soccer World Cup in Los Angeles, U.S.A. On July 11, in response to a letter from President Clinton on July 10, President Jiang Zemin wrote back, expressing congratulations on the championship of the U.S. team in the Third Women Soccer World Cup and hoping that the friendly exchanges in various fields between the two peoples would be constantly deepened and expanded . In July, China and the U.S. held two rounds of talks on resolving the U.S. compensation for the Chinese human casualties and property losses caused by the U.S. bombing of the Chinese Embassy in the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, and agreement was reached on the human casualties compensation. The U.S. side agreed to promptly pay US$ 4.5 million to the Chinese Government. On July 25, Chinese Foreign Minister Tang Jiaxuan met with U.S. Secretary of State Madeline Albright while attending the ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF) meeting in Singapore. On September 11, President Jiang Zemin and President Bill Clinton held an official meeting during the APEC Informal Leaders Meeting in Auckland, New Zealand. The Meeting was positive and constructive. The two sides stated that China and the U.S. should continue to build towards the constructive strategic partnership gearing towards the 21st century. President Jiang Zemin elaborated China's principled positions on the question of Taiwan. President Clinton reiterated that the U.S. adhered to its one China policy. Both sides believed that the meeting would be a positive guidance for the bilateral negotiation on China's accession to the WTO. This summit was an important meeting since the exchange of visits by the heads of state of the two countries and has great significance for the restoration, improvement and development of China-U.S. relations.

On September 12,Vice Premier Qian Qichen, accompanying President Jiang Zemin on his visit, met with U.S. Secretary of State Madeline Albright and Mr. Samuel Berger, Assistant to the President for National Security Affairs in Auckland, New Zealand. Prior to this meeting, Foreign Minister Tang Jiaxuan met with U.S. Secretary of State Madeline Albright on September 9.

Since the meeting between the heads of state of China and the U.S. in Auckland, the atmosphere of China-U.S. relations have been improved to some extent, and the exchanges and contacts in various fields have been increased. On September 23, Foreign Minister Tang Jiaxuan met with U.S. Secretary of State Madeline Albright during the 54th session of the UN General Assembly in New York. On October 11-23, at the invitation of the House of Representatives of the U.S. Congress, a delegation of National People's Congress of China led by Mr. Zen Jianhui, member of the Standing Committee and Chairman of the Committee on Foreign Affairs of the National People's Congress visited the U.S. During the visit, the delegation met with Senator Strom Thurmond, President Pro Tempore of the Senate and other Congressmen and officials from the Department of State. On Oct. 17, upon the request of President Clinton, President Jiang Zemin had a phone talk with President Clinton through the direct secure telephone link, exchanging views on the negotiation between China and the U.S. on China's accession to the WTO. On Oct. 25, President Jiang Zemin sent a letter to President Clinton, expressing thanks to President Clinton for his congratulatory message on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China on September 30. In his letter, President Jiang also stated that his official meeting with President Clinton during the APEC informal leaders meeting in Auckland had achieved positive and constructive results. He expressed his wishes that China and the U.S. should further improve and develop the bilateral relations of the two countries through their joint efforts. On the same day, the 12th session of China-U.S. Joint Economic Committee was held in Beijing, co-chaired by Chinese Minister of Finance Xiang Huaicheng and U.S. Secretary of Treasury Lawrence Summers. On October 28, Chinese Vice Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi held the Sino-U.S. vice-foreign-ministerial consultation with the U.S. Under-Secretary of State Thomas Pickering. On November 7, upon the request of U.S. President Clinton, President Jiang Zemin had a phone talk with President Clinton on the bilateral negotiation between China and the U.S. on China's accession to the WTO.

On Nov. 10-15, Chinese Government delegation headed by Mr. Shi Guangsheng, Minister of Foreign Trade & Economic Cooperation and the U.S. Government delegation headed by Ms. Bashervski, U.S. Trade Representative and Mr. Sperling, Director of U.S. National Economic Council held talks in Beijing on China's accession to the World Trade Organization. The two sides signed the Bilateral Agreement on China's Accession to the World Trade Organization on Nov. 15, 1999. After the signing ceremony, President Jian Zemin met with the U.S. delegation. President Jiang stated that the signing of the agreement was conducive to expediting China's accession to the World Trade Organization, promoting the overall development of China - U.S. economic and trade cooperation, the improvement and development of China - U.S. relations, as well as adding new momentum to the development and prosperity of the world economy. Jiang Zemin also pointed out that the conclusion of the bilateral agreement by both sides of China and the U.S. has fully demonstrated that both sides should view and handle the major issues concerning the fundamental interests of the Chinese and American people and the people of the world in a strategic and the twenty-first century perspective.

On Dec. 15, President Jiang Zemin accepted the credentials presented by the new U.S. Ambassador in China, Mr. Prueher at the Great Hall of the People and exchanged views with him on China - U.S. relations and the Taiwan question. On Dec. 16, China and the United States reached an agreement on the U.S. compensation for its bombing of the Chinese Embassy in Yugoslavia. According to the agreement, the U.S. Government will pay twenty-eight million U.S. dollars to the Chinese Government to compensate for the property losses caused by the U.S. bombing of the Chinese Embassy in Yugoslavia last May.

Entering the year of 2000, China-U.S. exchanges and contacts have been increased in various fields. On Jan.12, the Third Session of China-U.S. Environment and Development Forum was officially opened in Honolulu, the capital city of the state of Hawaii of the U.S., which was co-chaired by Zhu Lilan, Minister of Science and Technology of China and Dr. Neal Lane, Assistant to the U.S. President for Science and Technology. On Jan. 13, Vice Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi met with the U.S. Assistant Secretary of State Stanley Roth, who was visiting China as the guest of the U.S. Embassy in China, exchanging views mainly on China-U.S. relations, Taiwan question and relevant international and regional issues. Chinese Assistant Foreign Minister Wang Yi also met with Mr. Roth on the same day, both exchanging views on international and regional issues. On Jan. 14, the 9th session of the China-U.S. Joint Committee on Scientific and Technological Cooperation was held in Honolulu of Hawaii. From Jan. 22 to 26, Lieutenant General Xiong Guangkai, Deputy Chief of the General Staff of the People's Liberation Army of China (PLA), visited the U.S. and co-chaired with the U.S. Under Secretary of Defense Walter Slocombe the third vice-ministerial defense consultation between the defense departments of China and the U.S. U.S. Secretary of Defense William Cohen met Xiong Guangkai on Jan. 26. During his visit, Mr. Xiong also met respectively General Shelton, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, General Ralston, Vice-Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, James Steinberg, Deputy Assistant to the President for National Security Affairs and Thomas Pickering, Under Secretary of State. On February 17 and 18, Vice Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi and Deputy Secretary of State Talbott held China-U.S. Consultation on Strategic Security. The two sides concentrated and had an in-depth and frank exchange of views on the global and regional security, China-U.S. relations and, in particular, the Taiwan question,. They agreed that China and the US bear special responsibilities for safeguarding world and regional peace, stability and security. They also expressed their desire to increase contacts, enhance mutual understanding, broaden consensus and promote cooperation. The Chinese side pointed out that the development and deployment of the National Missle Defense (NMD) system and the Theatre Missle Defense (TMD) system is not in the interest of global strategic balance, nor does it serve regional peace and stability. The Chinese side hopes that the US side will respect the universal aspiration of the international community, handle the matter with prudence and come up with a wise decision. On Feb. 18, Vice Premier Qian Qichen, Vice Chairman of the Central Military Commission Zhang Wannian, Minister in charge of the Foreign Affairs Office of the CPC Central Committee Liu Huaqiu and Deputy Chief of the General Staff of the PLA Xiong Guangkai met with Mr. Talbott and his entourage respectively.

From March 18 to 22, Richard Holbrooke, U.S. Representative to the United Nations, visited China. President Jiang Zemin, Vice Premier Qian Qichen, Foreign Minister Tang Jiaxuan, and Vice Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi met with Mr. Holbrooke respectively. Vice Foreign Minister Wang Guangya held talks with Mr. Holbrooke on the UN and other issues. From March 28 to 30, Samuel Berger, Assistant to the U.S. President for National Security, visited China. President Jiang Zemin, Premier Zhu Rongji, Vice Premier Qian Qichen, and Minister in charge of the Foreign Affairs Office of the CPC Central Committee Liu Huaqiu met with him respectively. Foreign Minister Tang Jiaxuan held talks with him. Mr. Berger stated during the meetings and talks that the U.S. sticks to its "One China" policy, observes the three China-U.S. Joint communiqués, and does not support the independence of Taiwan, does not support "Two Chinas" or "One China, One Taiwan", and does not support Taiwan's entry into any international organization where statehood is required. On April 8, Thomas Pickering, U.S. Under Secretary of State, called in Mr. Li Zhaoxin, Chinese Ambassador to the U.S., and informed him of the result of the accountability review by the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency(CIA) concerning the U.S. bombing of the Chinese Embassy in the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia. The U.S. side only admitted that it used an inappropriate methodology to locate the target and that the review process at every level failed to find the mistake. The U.S. side sanctioned eight CIA officers involved, with one of them fired. On April 10, Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesman made comments that the U.S. explanation is not "tenable". On the same day, Vice Foreign Minister Wang Guangya summoned the U.S. Ambassador to strongly demand that the U.S. Government conduct a comprehensive and thorough investigation into its bombing of the Chinese Embassy in Yugoslavia, bring the perpetrators to justice, and give the Chinese Government and people a satisfactory explanation. On May 28, President Jiang Zemin had a phone talk with President Clinton and discussed Sino-U.S. Relations and other issues. From June 22 to 23, U.S. Secretary of State Madeline Albright visited China. President Jiang Zemin, Premier Zhu Rongji and Vice Premier Qian Qichen met with her respectively. Foreign Minister Tang Jiaxuan held talks with her. She stated during the talks and meetings that the U.S. Government understands the importance and sensitivity of the Taiwan question, and it adheres to its "One China" Policy and observes the three China-U.S. Joint communiqués, and does not support the independence of Taiwan, does not support "Two Chinas" or "One China, One Taiwan", and does not support Taiwan's entry into any international organization where statehood is required. From July 7 to 8, John Holum, U.S. Under Secretary of State, visited China and held consultations with Vice Foreign Minister Wang Guangya on arms control and nonproliferation. On July 28, Foreign Minister Tang Jiaxuan met with U.S. Secretary of State Madeline Albright during the Foreign Ministers Meeting of ASEAN Regional Forum in Bankok. On September 8, President Jiang Zemin and President Bill Clinton held an official meeting during the UN Summit Meeting in New York, and had an in-depth exchange of views on Sino-U.S. relations and major international and regional issues of mutual interest. On the same day, President Jiang Zemin participated a Luncheon sponsored by a few friendly organizations including the National Committee on U.S.-China Relations, and delivered an important speech on Sino-U.S. relations. Meanwhile, Vice Premier Qian Qichen, who accompanied President Jiang Zemin during his visit, met with U.S. Secretary of State Madeline Albright, Assistant to the U.S. President for National Security Affairs Samuel Berger, and U.S. Representative to UN Richard Holbrooke. On September 14, Foreign Minister Tang Jiaxuan held talks with U.S. Secretary of State Madeline Albright during the UN General Assembly. From October 22 to 29, at the invitation of U.S. Under Secretary of State Thomas Pickering, Vice Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi visited the U.S. for the Sino-U.S. Vice-Foreign-Ministerial Consultation. On November 15, Foreign Minister Tang Jiaxuan met with U.S. Secretary of State Madeline Albright in Brunei. On November 16, President Jiang Zemin and President Bill Clinton held an official meeting during the APEC Informal Leadership Meeting in Brunei, and exchanged views on Sino-U.S. relations, the Taiwan question and China's entry into the World Trade Organization, etc. On the same day, Vice Premier Qian Qichen, who accompanied President Jiang Zemin during his visit, met with U.S. Secretary of State Madeline Albright and Assistant to the President for National Security Affairs Samuel Berger, in Brunei. On December 14, President Jiang Zemin and Vice President Hu Jintao sent congratulatory messages to the U.S. Republican Presidential candidate George W. Bush and Vice-Presidential candidate Richard Cheney respectively for their election as President and Vice President of the United States. On December 15, the U.S. Congress passed the "Omnibus Appropriation Act" providing for compensation of 28 million dollars for the property loss and damage suffered by China as a result of the U.S. bombing of the Chinese Embassy in the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia. On December 17, Foreign Minister Tang Jiaxuan sent a congratulatory message to Collin Powell for his nomination as Secretary of State of the new administration of the United States.