Xinhua photo editors value Sino-U.S. ties

U.S. Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld is about to visit China, his first visit since becoming the head of the Pentagon in 2001. Experts and scholars who study Sino-American relations are following closely the aims of this visit, the possible subjects Rumsfeld will discuss with Chinese leaders, and the significance of the visit.

There are even experts who say that as one of the most powerful representatives of the American "hawks", Rumsfeld's visit to China this time is not ordinary; at a time when there are great frictions betweeen the U.S. and China and continuously occuring small frictions, this visit highlights the importance of Sino-American relations, and the hope of both sides that the relationship could enter a new climax (i.e. high point).