ATLANTA: The Chinese ambassador to the United States returned to Atlanta to mark the anniversary of a trip 30 years ago that led to a new era in China-US relations.

Zhou Wenzhong was relatively new to the Foreign Ministry when in 1979 he witnessed President Jimmy Carter welcome then Chinese vice-premier Deng Xiaopeng to the first summit between the two countries on US soil.

Now as ambassador, Zhou said China-US relations have on the whole moved forward, especially in recent years.