President Nixon meets with China's Communist Party Leader, Mao Tse-Tung on February 29, 1972. Nixon's visit formalized relations between the United States and the People's Republic of China for the first time since Mao came into power in 1949.
Source
New York State Archives. "China Divided: The Status of Taiwan." February 29, 1972. (10 November 2006). Created by Gary Keith and Mike Frost.