Abstract: During the Cold War, the correlation and mutual impact between the Sino-US relations and the strategic pattern in East Asia, together with numerous important events, formed the international political climate in East Asia at that time, which impacted the domestic politics both in China and the U.S. as well as their historical development of diplomatic relations and caused profound changes to the politics in the world. Some of the consequences continue to exert influence today. For instance, the transformation of the Sino-US relations from opposition to cooperation will naturally result in extensive changes in the political situations in regions and the whole world such as intensity or relief of regional tensions, turmoil or stability of international security environment, cease or increase of economic cooperation and multi-lateral trade, prevention or development of extensive cultural communication, etc. Most importantly, the transformation catalyzed two revolutionary and influential events in the world history in the past four decades: first, the four-decade-long Cold War ended in peace with the collapse of the Soviet Union and fortunately, human beings were relieved from the terror of being destroyed by nuclear war; second, the peaceful rising of China.

Key words: Sino-US relations, East Asia, the Cold War