Pakistan, May 15 -- US President Donald Trump's recent summit with Chinese President Xi Jinping in Beijing has renewed attention on the long history of high-level US presidential visits to China, which have often been marked by breakthroughs, tensions and symbolic diplomacy.

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The relationship between the two countries was formally redefined in 1972 when President Richard Nixon made a landmark visit to China during the Cold War. Nixon met Chairman Mao Zedong and Premier Zhou Enlai, opening the door to a new era in US-China relations. His visit followed years of backchannel diplomacy led by Henry Kissinger and the so-called "ping-pong diplomacy," eventually paving the way ...