The meeting between China’s leader and the veteran American diplomat came as a flurry of high-profile visits by top US officials made their way to the Chinese capital. It coincided with a trip by President Biden’s climate envoy, John Kerry, and meetings by Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen and current Secretary of State Antony Blinken. The 100-year-old Kissinger played a critical role in helping the United States to establish relations with Communist China half a century ago, and he is well regarded in Beijing as an “old friend,” according to the foreign ministry.
The pair met at the Diaoyutai State Guesthouse, a diplomatic complex in western Beijing where foreign dignitaries are often received. It was the exact location where Kissinger held his first meetings with a senior Chinese official in 1971 when he paved the way for a landmark visit by then-President Richard Nixon. The foreign ministry readout said Xi hailed the former secretary of state as an “old friend” who has visited China more than 100 times and is widely respected by the people of both countries. It added that he appreciated the “sincere feelings and positive efforts” the elder statesman had made to promote bilateral ties.
Kissinger praised Xi for his “long-term efforts to promote bilateral relations.” He said that he was grateful Beijing had hosted him and for the hospitality he had received in the past, AFP reported. He also emphasized the importance of maintaining stable bilateral ties. “The relationship between our two countries is a matter of world peace and the progress of human society,” he said. The meeting lasted for over an hour and a half.
During the meeting, Kissinger and Xi discussed various issues related to bilateral ties, including economic and trade cooperation, regional security, and the fight against terrorism, the Foreign Ministry said. “The two sides agreed that the Sino-US relationship is an important partnership, and they must make joint efforts to promote the healthy and steady development of this relationship,” the foreign ministry spokesman said.
The meeting echoed Kissinger’s call for a rapprochement between the world’s two largest economies, which remain at loggerheads over issues from human rights to trade to national security. It overlapped with a trip by Kerry, recent meetings by Yellen and Blinken, and a meeting between Xi and Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte this week.
While the meeting was private, Xi’s choice of venue and seating arrangement with Kissinger indicated his respect for the elder statesman, said Wu Xinbo, an expert on China-US relations at Fudan University in Shanghai. The setting was far more cordial than the tense seating arrangement when Xi met with Blinken in June when they sat across from each other at a tea table. The setting reflects a new, more mature, and pragmatic approach to US-China relations by both sides, Wu said.
