April 29, 1998: US and China sign hot line agreement

1998 - US Secretary of State Madeleine Albright, paving the way for a presidential summit in China, signed an agreement for a “hot line” to link the White House with the Communist seat of power in Beijing. Setting out a major goal for the summit, Albright said Washington wanted to look towards the 21st century in ties that have been dogged by the 1989 Tiananmen Square massacre. “We are looking towards the 21st century in terms of our relationship with China and that is the focus of the summit to try to look forward,” she said after arriving in the Chinese capital. The “hot line” agreement was an outcome of the previous summit in Washington in October last year. It will be installed in the Zhongnanhai leadership compound.

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