52 years ago today, on November 12th, 1973 (October 18th, 1973 in the lunar calendar), Kissinger visited China for the sixth time and met with Mao Zedong. Mao Zedong met with Kissinger On November 10, 1973, Dr. Henry Kissinger, Secretary of State and Assistant to the President for National Security Affairs, and his party came to China for a visit and arrived in Beijing. Foreign Minister Ji Pengfei held a banquet that night to welcome Dr. Henry Kissinger, Secretary of State and Assistant to the President for National Security Affairs, and his party. Premier Zhou Enlai and Vice President Ye Jianying attended the banquet. Bruce, director of the U.S. Liaison Office in China, Jenkins and holdridge, deputy directors, were invited to attend the banquet. In his toast, Foreign Minister Ji Pengfei said that this is Dr. Kissinger's sixth visit to China, and it is also his first visit since he took office as US Secretary of State. We are pleased to exchange views with us on the normalization of Sino-US relations and issues of common concern. He welcomed Secretary Kissinger and the American guests who accompanied him, and took this opportunity to greet the great American people. He said that since the doctor's visit to China in February 1973, many important events have taken place in the world, which strongly proves that the current international situation is characterized by chaos in the world. We believe that this turmoil is the inevitable result of historical development, and it is a good thing for the people, not a bad thing. Through this turmoil, the people have been further trained, seen the direction clearly, strengthened their unity, and increasingly took their destiny into their own hands. Foreign Minister Ji Pengfei said that there is no doubt that our two sides have differences in views on a series of issues, but the experience of the past two years shows that it is beneficial for both sides to exchange views in a frank spirit. Since President Nixon's visit to China and the publication of the Sino-US Shanghai Communique, China and the United States have set up liaison offices with each other, and various exchanges between Chinese and American peoples have been carried out gratifying. The understanding between the two peoples has deepened and the friendship has enhanced. This is a good start and conforms to the interests and aspirations of the two peoples. We believe that as long as we move forward in the direction set by the Shanghai Communique, the goal of normalizing Sino-US relations can be achieved. Dr. Kissinger said in his toast that this is my sixth honor to visit China. Today's journey repeats the route of my secret visit to China in July 1971. Everyone who took part in that trip will never forget our excitement when we first entered China. This was not only because we came to visit a new country, but also because we thought it was a mysterious land at that time, until the Prime Minister pointed out to me that the reason why we thought so was more due to our ignorance than her mystery. But more importantly, we know that the normalization of Sino-US relations is essential for world peace. At that time, we set ourselves the task, that is, we are determined to normalize relations and establish friendly relations between the American and Chinese peoples. Dr. Kissinger said, as Mr. Foreign Minister has said before, we have made good progress, we have mutual liaison offices in each other's capitals, interactions between our two countries have increased, but we are determined to do much more than that and determined to complete the process we started two years ago as quickly as possible. He said that we have established some common important goals in the Shanghai Communique: we will oppose hegemony, we will not speak on behalf of a third country, and we will abide by the principle of peaceful coexistence. We are determined to implement the Shanghai Communique. Therefore, when I visited for the sixth time, China was no longer a mysterious land for us. We have learned that China meant its word, and every promise we made to each other was kept. We also understand that the peace and happiness of our two peoples are not only beneficial to our two peoples, but also beneficial to the whole world. Therefore, my colleagues and I came here with an open and sincere attitude in order to speed up the process of normalization of our relations, promote the goals of the Shanghai Communique, and exchange views on Asian peace and world peace, he said. We know that this time, like all previous visits, we will make good progress. On November 12th, Chairman Mao Zedong met with Dr. Henry Kissinger, US Secretary of State and Assistant to the President for National Security Affairs, in Zhongnanhai. Chairman Mao welcomed Dr. Kissinger's visit to China again and had a wide range of conversations with him in a friendly atmosphere. At the end of the meeting, Chairman Mao asked Secretary Kissinger to convey his greetings to President Nixon. On November 13, Dr. Kissinger held a banquet in the banquet hall of the Great Hall of the People. In his toast, he said that it is extremely appropriate for us to invite Chinese friends to dinner at their home today. Our Chinese friends have great art in making their American guests feel like they are at home wherever they go. He said, I once asked my colleagues, the so-called experts on China, to provide a Chinese proverb suitable for this occasion. What they told me was: A thousand cups of wine are less than a bosom friend. I can say that we at Table 1 are indeed living this proverb. He said that when we finished our stay in the People's Republic of China and were about to leave, like the previous five visits, we were satisfied with the progress made and felt affectionate about the relationship we had established. When President Nixon came here nearly two years ago and the Shanghai Communique was produced, he was a pioneer. The journey that President Nixon began is now considered necessary by all Americans. No matter what happens in the United States in the future, friendship with the People's Republic of China is a continuing factor in American foreign policy. This is because our relationship is based on necessity and principle, and because we abide by this principle and understand this necessity. Dr. Kissinger said that after we leave, we will issue a communique, but the significance of this visit and our relationship can never be contained in the words of a document. They will be contained in the relationship that has been established and the future that we plan. He said that I had the honor to have a far-sighted and extensive conversation with Chairman Mao and a long and constructive talk with the Prime Minister. It is clear that the friendship between our two peoples will be strengthened, the principles of the Shanghai Communique will be strengthened and reaffirmed, and the normalization of our relations will continue. We assure you that no matter what happens in the future, the progress made in our relationship will continue to develop in the future. At the end of his speech, on behalf of President Nixon and all his colleagues, he proposed a toast to Chairman Mao's health and the lasting friendship between the Chinese and American peoples. In his toast, Foreign Minister Ji Pengfei said that Dr. Kissinger and his party are about to end their visit to China and will leave Beijing tomorrow. In the past three days, Premier Zhou Enlai and Dr. Kissinger have held many talks on promoting the normalization of Sino-US relations and international issues of common concern. Officials of our two countries also discussed in detail the further development of exchanges between China and the United States from various aspects. In particular, Chairman Mao Zedong once again met with Dr. Kissinger and had an extensive conversation with him. It should be said that through the sixth visit of the doctor, our two sides have a better understanding of each other's positions and principles on a series of major issues. It can be extremely beneficial for both parties. Foreign Minister Ji Pengfei said that history is developing and mankind is making progress. We believe that the friendship between the Chinese and American peoples will continue to strengthen in the coming years, and Sino-US relations will continue to advance towards the goal of normalization on the basis of the Shanghai Communique.