Henry Kissinger, a longtime U.S. foreign policy guru, met and took pictures with top Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi on Monday.
On Tuesday, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying shared a photo of Kissinger’s meeting with Wang in New York. Hua also shared a press release detailing their meeting.
Kissinger is German-born U.S. politician and diplomat. He served as the Secretary of States for Presidents Richard Nixon and Gerald R. Ford.
Kissinger is known for his police of Détente, which allowed for an easing of tensions between the U.S. and the Soviet Union at the height of the Cold War. He is also known for opening up diplomatic channels between the U.S. and China in 1971 that paved the way for a normalizing of relations between the two countries.
Kissinger also received the Nobel Peace Prize for his work on the Paris Peace Accords, which negotiated the end of the Vietnam War.
“Dr. Kissinger is an old friend and good friend of the Chinese people, who has made historic contributions to the establishment and development of China-U.S. relations,” the Chinese Foreign Ministry said. “The Chinese side appreciates that Dr. Kissinger has always been friendly to China and with confidence in China-U.S. relations. Hope Dr. Kissinger will continue his unique and important role in helping bilateral relations for an early return on the right track.”
In the press release announcing Kissinger and Wang’s meeting, the Chinese Foreign Ministry said President Joe Biden had committed to not seeking a “new Cold War”; not seeking to change China’s system of governance; not shaping U.S. alliances against China; not supporting “Taiwan independence”; not looking for conflict with China. While the Chinese Foreign Ministry said Biden made these commitments, the U.S. has “run in the opposite direction.”
“Dr. Kissinger once warned that China-U.S. relations have been in the ‘foothills of a Cold War,'” the Chinese Foreign Ministry press release stated. “An outbreak of a new Cold War will be a disaster for China and the U.S., as well as other parts of the world.”
The Chinese Foreign Ministry also said Kissinger “expressed that the extreme importance of the Taiwan question to China should be fully recognized, and the U.S. and China need dialogue rather than confrontation and should build a bilateral relationship of peaceful coexistence.”
Earlier this year, Kissinger said that Ukraine should cede some of its territory to invading Russian forces in order to bring about an end to their ongoing conflict.
