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——Photo Exhibition on 30th Anniversary of China-US Diplomatic Relations

Mounted in Beijing

Looking back After 30 Years——Photo Exhibition on the 30th Anniversary of China-US Diplomatic Relations was mounted in Beijing from January 12 to 17， 2009 at the Cultural Palace of Nationalities in Beijing. Chinese President Hu Jintao and US President George W. Bush made video speeches，congratulating on the great achievements in China-US relations over the past 30 years since the two countries established diplomatic ties.

President Hu Jintao extended warm congratulations on the opening of the exhibition and expressed sincere greetings and best wishes to personages of various circles of the two countries who had worked hard over the years to promote the growth of China-US relations.

Hu Jintao pointed out: “For 30 years， thanks to the concerted efforts of generations of Chinese and American leaders and people of vision from all walks of life， we have made historic achievements in growing these relations. Our two countries have fruitful exchanges and cooperation in a wide range of areas. Our two peoples are increasing mutual understanding and friendship day by day. The strategic significance and global implications of China-US relations have become all the more evident.”

Hu Jintao emphasized: “The world is now undergoing complex and profound changes. Under the new circumstances and in the face of new opportunities and challenges， China stands ready to work with the United States to build on past achievements， sum up and draw on experience in the development of China-US relations， follow the principles of the three Sino-US joint communiques， and remain committed to the development of a constructive and cooperative relationship.China is willing to further strengthen dialogue and exchanges with the United States on the basis of mutual respect， equality， mutual benefit and win-win cooperation， enhance mutual trust and cooperation， and continuously expand the basis for cooperation and common interests between the two countries so as to promote sound， stable and in-depth growth of our constructive and cooperative relationship.”

President Bush said: “The decision by the two governments to open formal ties 30 years ago transcended profound differences in our nations’ histories， cultures and political systems and bridged a seemingly impossible divide. The people of the United States and China have come to know each other well over the last 30 years. Together， we have built bridges between our two nations in every conceivable field—from commerce and trade to education， science， sports and the arts. …I hope that over the coming 30 years our governments will build on this foundation of goodwill and work constructively together to advance the causes of peace， stability， and development. I am confident that working with common purpose and determination， the United States and China can successfully address global challenges to ensure that our children inherit a truly better and safer world.”

Dai Bingguo， state councillor; Xu Kuangdi， president of the China-US People’s Friendship Association; Chen Haosu and Li Xiaolin， president and vice president of the CPAFFC， together with former US President Jimmy Carter， former US Secretary of State Henry Kissinger， former US National Security Advisers Zbigniew Brzezinski and Brent Scow- croft， and US Ambassador to China Clark Randt， among 180 Chinese and American representatives of various circles， attended the opening ceremony of the exhibition on January 12.

With friend- ship as the main theme， the 360 photos on display are arranged into four parts under the subtitles “Recalling History”， “Friendship between the People”， “Economic Exchanges” and “Win-Win Cooperation”.Sp- anning time and space， these photos unfold major events in bilateral exchanges， both governmental and people-to-people prior to and after the establishment of diplomatic relations， show the progress made in the fields of diplomacy， economy， trade， culture， education， sports， etc. by China and the United States in the past 30 years， and vividly record the course of development of China-US relations from the Ping Pong Diplomacy to the smiling Michael Phelps at the Beijing Olympic Games， from the first Chinese share certificate given by Deng Xiaoping to American guest to China’s accession into the World Trade Organization.

The year-long exhibition is jointly sponsored by the CPAFFC， China Photo Service and Tsinghua University. Apart from Beijing， it will be mounted in some Chinese provinces and cities and tour some US states and cities. The first exhibition in the United States was mounted in the Richard Nixon Library on January 21. The closing ceremony of the exhibition will be held in the Carter Centre in December， 2009.