Monday Open Line

Today is Chinese New Year, marking the beginning of 4714, the year of the monkey in the Chinese Zodiac. This month in the year 4670, more familiar to us as 1972, President Richard Nixon surprised everyone with his dramatic state visit to China. This successful diplomatic initiative led to expanded contacts between the U.S. and that nation. Today, China is a major U.S. trading partner. In 2014, China bought nearly $124 billion of American goods, while we imported over $466 billion worth from that once isolated nation. There are about 3.7 million Americans of Chinese and Taiwanese heritage, the largest group among the Asian population in the U.S. You can find more facts about America from the U.S. Census Bureau online at <www.census.gov>.