On this Day in Chinese History; 17 February

This day, 17 February, in 1973, Mao Zedong met with Henry Kissinger, National Security Advisor to US President Richard Nixon, in Zhongnanhai in Beijing. During the visit, the two sides agreed it was the right time to set up liaison offices in each other’s capitals, which would not serve as formal diplomatic missions, but would enjoy diplomatic treatment. Each liason office was opened just 5 days later.