China’s Xi hosts former US Secretary of State Henry Kissinger

By Riyaz ul Khaliq

ISTANBUL (AA) – China’s President Xi Jinping on Thursday hosted former US Secretary of State Henry Kissinger, a prominent advocate for better US-Chinese relations.

Xi hosted Kissinger, who just turned 100 in May, at Diaoyutai State Guesthouse in the capital Beijing.

Since 1971, Kissinger has visited China more than 100 times, Beijing-based Global Times reported.

A day earlier, China’s foreign affairs chief Wang Yi said Washington’s relations with China – which have been especially strained in recent years – would benefit from Kissinger’s “diplomatic wisdom.”

Kissinger met Wang in Beijing on Wednesday and Defense Minister Li Shangfu on Tuesday.

Wang said Kissinger, who served under late US President Richard Nixon, “made historic contributions to the ice-breaking development of China-US relations and played an irreplaceable role in enhancing mutual understanding between the two countries.”

“The Chinese people won’t forget an old friend, won’t forget your historical contribution to advancing China-US relations and helping enhance the friendship of people of the two countries,” Xi told Kissinger.

“It is impossible to try to transform China, and it is even more impossible to contain China. The US policy toward China requires the diplomatic wisdom of Kissinger and the political courage of Nixon,” Wang told Kissinger.

In 1971, Kissinger’s secret visit to Beijing paved the way for Nixon to normalize relations with China.

An architect of realpolitik foreign policy, Kissinger, is praised in some quarters but lambasted in others for his policies ranging from Cyprus to Cambodia. A winner of the 1973 Nobel Peace Prize for negotiating a cease-fire with Vietnam, he has warned against conflict between Beijing and Washington.

This summer has seen high diplomatic traffic in and out of Beijing.

In recent weeks Xi has hosted several state and government heads, both current and former, besides foreign businessmen and diplomats.​​​​​​​