Issued to mark the 40th anniversary of diplomatic relations between Australia and the People's Republic of China, established in December 1972 when the Whitlam government moved swiftly — within days of Labor's election victory — to normalise ties that had been frozen since the communist victory in 1949. The pad-printing technique applied to the coin's surface was still relatively novel in Australian commemorative production at this date, allowing color application without the adhesion failures associated with earlier enamel methods.
Issued to mark the 40th anniversary of diplomatic relations between Australia and the People's Republic of China, established in December 1972 when the Whitlam government moved swiftly — within days of Labor's election victory — to normalise ties that had been frozen since the communist victory in 1949. The pad-printing technique applied to the coin's surface was still relatively novel in Australian commemorative production at this date, allowing color application without the adhesion failures associated with earlier enamel methods.