Foreign Minister Qian Qichen toasted former President Richard Nixon on Saturday for restoring ties between their nations 17 years ago and said the relationship must now be mended in the interests of world peace.
Qian spoke at a welcoming banquet for Nixon on the first evening of his private visit to China as a guest of the government.The visit is Nixon's sixth to China, beginning with the 1972 trip that began a rapproachment after decades of hostility. It is his most low-key ever, with even his schedule and length of stay a secret.
Reporters were kept at a distance at the Beijing airport when Nixon arrived on a commercial flight and was greeted by Vice Foreign Minister Liu Huaqiu. He made no statement and was whisked off in a waiting car to the Diaoyutai State Guesthouse.
"The overall interests of safeguarding world peace and the long-term interests of our two countries require us to make a success of Chinese-U.S. relations," the official Xinhua News Agency quoted Qian as saying in his banquet toast.
"Chinese-U.S. relations are at a crossroads," he said.