Four decades ago, on February 21, 1972, several colleagues from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) and I received the US delegation, including US President Richard Nixon, in Shanghai. We took Nixon's presidential plane and accompanied them all the way to Beijing.

That was the first time for Chinese government officials to fly on a US presidential plane. It was a bright, chilly day. In the warm cabin, the conversation on board between both sides was jovial and relaxed. Nixon mentioned the embarrassment of his National Security Adviser Henry Kissinger as he pretended to be sick and rested in Pakistan the year before, so as to prepare a secret visit to China. This caused a burst of laughter. US First Lady Pat Nixon kindly invited us to partake of US wines and snacks, asked us about Chinese manners and culinary skills, and even learned a few sentences in Putonghua.

After one hour and 45 minutes, the US presidential plane arrived at the Beijing Capital International Airport at 11:30 am. While Nixon stepped down the ramp, Chinese Premier Zhou Enlai was already waiting. They shook hands firmly. Zhou said, "You have reached across the world's vastest ocean to shake my hand." Nixon commented later of this moment that "One era ended and another began." Hundreds of journalists from home and abroad rushed to catch this historical moment.

At that time, Chairman Mao Zedong's meetings with important State guests were always decided at the last minute and were never listed in the schedule. That day at 2 pm, Zhou suddenly visited the Diaoyutai State Guesthouse and notified Kissinger that Mao would meet Nixon half an hour later.

Kissinger reported this to Nixon at once. The two, together with Winston Lord, then a Kissinger advisor, decided to leave at once. Most US members on the delegation, including astute US journalists, were not aware of this development. Only two US security guards left with me in the rear car. By the time other security guards realized what had happened, the motorcade had already disappeared.

However, some foreign correspondents living in Beijing were already familiar with our practice. As soon as Nixon arrived in Beijing, they sent people to the Xinhua Gate to keep watch. That afternoon, when they found Nixon's motorcade passing the gate, AFP and Reuters immediately released the news.

The meeting was originally scheduled for 20 minutes so that Mao would not be too tired. However, Mao looked energetic that day, and they talked for 70 minutes.

We laid out chocolate sweets and preserved fruits in the rooms of the US guests. The cleaning staff found these snacks disappeared every day. Later they learned a secret: The guests, without time to go shopping and buy souvenirs, packed all these sweets into their suitcases to bring them home and send to relatives and friends. Zhou told the hotel to continue providing the sweets to be taken back as gifts.

The negotiations on the Shanghai Communiqué were mainly between Kissinger and Chinese representatives Qiao Guanhua and Zhang Wenjin. These negotiations often took place late at night. Negotiators on both sides often argued over a single sentence or clause for hours. At 6 pm on February 27, Kissinger announced the Communiqué to journalists at the Shanghai Jinjiang Hotel. After that, the Sino-US relationship entered to a new chapter.

Nixon's China visit and the signing of the Shanghai Communiqué in February 1972 attracted worldwide attention. There were numerous reports on this historic meeting on both sides, and Nixon's seven-day visit to China was dubbed "the week that changed the future of the world."

In early 1970s, Mao and Zhou broke the impasse of a Sino-US relationship that had been frozen for more than two decades.

However, both of them passed away before the two countries officially established diplomatic ties. The historic mission of deepening the Sino-US relationship was thus taken over by Deng Xiaoping.

After Nixon's visit, there were six years of complicated wrangling between both sides, and on December 15, 1978, the two governments finally announced their establishment of diplomatic relationship.

Soon after, Deng visited the US, the first visit by a top leader of the People's Republic of China. A new step in the Sino-US relationship was made, and it was an important turning point for postwar international relations.

The author is a former assistant minister of foreign affairs of the People's Republic of China. In 1972, he was division chief of Protocol Department at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. opinion@globaltimes.com.cn