A Foreign Ministry spokesman Tuesday hailed the 40th anniversary of the release of a historically significant joint communique between China and the United States.

The Shanghai Communique, released in Shanghai on Feb. 28, 1972, allowed China and the United States to resume contact and open a "new chapter" in their relations, spokesman Hong Lei said at a regular news briefing.

He highlighted the communique as one of the most important political documents in the history of Sino-U.S. relations, as it allowed for the establishment of principles such as "one-China, mutual respect, equality, peaceful coexistence and non-interference in each other's internal affairs."

The spokesman said the growth of Sino-U.S. relations over the past 40 years has brought concrete benefits to the two peoples and contributed to the peace, stability and prosperity in the Asia-Pacific region and the world at large.

Bilateral relations are now at a historical point, Hong said, citing an agreement by President Hu Jintao and U.S. President Barack Obama to construct a "cooperative partnership."

Vice President Xi Jinping recently paid a successful visit to the United States, Hong added, calling on both sides to boost bilateral cooperation and appropriately handle disputes in order to make new progress.

Forty years ago, Richard Nixon became the first U.S. president to visit the People's Republic of China. He met with the late Chairman Mao Zedong on Feb. 21, with the Shanghai Communique released on the day when he left China.

The visit and the release of the document had a significant impact on Sino-U.S. relations, leading to the official establishment of diplomatic relations at the ambassadorial-level between the countries on Jan. 1, 1979.

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