On January 1, 1979, China and the U.S. established diplomatic relations with each other. 40 years on, bilateral relations have experienced enormous growth, despite ups and downs along the way. This year, we celebrate four decades of China-U.S. diplomacy. Cui Tiankai, Chinese Ambassador to the U.S., shares his own memory of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and the U.S. during an interview of Liu Xin from CGTN.

"I certainly remember clearly the day when Mr. Deng Xiaoping arrived in Washington, DC, I was doing my graduate study in Shanghai. At that time, we had no TV at home, so, we have to go to a relative's home to watch black and white TV, live coverage of his visit to the United States. It was really eye-opening and it was really inspiring for people from both countries."

Cui said that he had never imagined that one day he could come to the United States and even become Chinese ambassador to the country.

"This is a very small personal story but it also shows that relationships between our two countries over the last four decades have brought real benefits for people from both countries. Since we are managing this relationship, we should do our utmost to contribute to further development to a stronger and more sustainable relationship between our two great countries. "

Mr. Cui also expressed his new year wishes for 2019 and beyond with a Chinese proverb.

"Cut paths through mountains and build bridges across rivers, and stay the course. In Chinese it means 逢山开路遇水搭桥，坚定不移向前走!”