Chinese President Xi Jinping received Thursday in Beijing former US Secretary of State Henry Kissinger, hailed in state media as a “legendary diplomat” for bringing China and the United States closer together in the 1970s.
The meeting, reported by Chinese state television, comes at a time when relations between the two countries are at their lowest, despite a recent series of diplomatic visits from the United States.
Recently 100 years old, Henry Kissinger secretly traveled to Beijing in July 1971 to establish ties with communist China, paving the way for President Richard Nixon’s historic visit to Beijing in 1972.
This outstretched hand to China had put an end to the isolation of the Asian giant and contributed to the rise of Beijing, firstly economically, on the world stage.
“The Chinese people value friendship, and we will never forget our old friend and your historic contribution to promoting the development of China-U.S. relations and strengthening the friendship between the Chinese and American peoples,” President Xi told Kissinger on Thursday, according to state broadcaster CCTV.
“It has not only benefited both countries, but also changed the world,” Xi added.
“China-US relations will forever be associated with the name of Kissinger, and the Chinese people will always remember you,” he also told her.
CCTV said the former US secretary of state was received in the very room where he worked for rapprochement with China 50 years ago, at Diaoyutai, the Chinese government’s state villa in Beijing.
Mr. Kissinger thanked the Chinese president for this symbolic gesture.
“Relations between our two countries will be crucial for world peace and the progress of our societies,” he also said.
“Since 1971, Mr. Kissinger has visited China more than 100 times,” state television said Thursday.
“On May 27, the legendary diplomat celebrated his 100th birthday, and this visit to China is also his first since he was 100,” she added.
Henry Kissinger had met the day before the most senior Chinese official for diplomacy, Wang Yi.
The latter had notably thanked him for his “historic contributions to the thawing of relations between China and the United States”.
“American policy toward China needs diplomatic wisdom à la Kissinger and political courage à la Nixon,” Wang Yi had assured his host.
While the Asian giant is now the second largest economy in the world, it is “impossible to surround or contain” China, insisted the Chinese official.
On Tuesday, the former secretary of state met with Chinese Defense Minister Li Shangfu, who is under US sanctions.
During this interview, “Mr. Kissinger said that in today’s world, challenges and opportunities coexist, and the United States and China should eliminate misunderstandings, coexist peacefully and avoid confrontation,” Xinhua reported.
Winner of the Nobel Peace Prize, Mr. Kissinger made his fortune after leaving politics in advising companies investing in China. He also warned against the hardening of American policy towards Beijing.
His visit to China comes at the same time as that of the American envoy for the climate, John Kerry, and after trips by other senior American officials such as Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen and Secretary of State Antony Blinken.
20/07/2023 11:30:42 – Beijing (AFP) – © 2023 AFP
