China’s top diplomat said the United States needs the “diplomatic wisdom” embodied by Henry Kissinger during a visit with the former U.S secretary of state Wednesday in Beijing.
Wang Yi praised Kissinger’s role in normalizing bilateral relations between Beijing and Washington in the 1970s, describing the 100-year-old former diplomat as “an old friend” who “played an irreplaceable role in enhancing understanding between the two countries,” according to a statement issued by China’s foreign ministry.
Kissinger arrived Tuesday on a surprise visit to the Chinese capital and had talks with Defense Minister Li Shangfu. His visits to Beijing in 1971 while serving as national security advisor under then-President Richard Nixon paved the way for Nixon’s historic visit to the Communist-run nation the next year and the eventual normalizing of ties in 1979.
Wang said current U.S. policy towards China “needs Kissinger-style diplomatic wisdom and Nixon-style political courage.”
Relations between the U.S. and China have been strained in recent years over a growing number of issues, including Washington’s accusations of Beijing’s unfair trade and economic practices and violations of intellectual property rights, plus rising tensions over Taiwan, the self-ruled island China says is part of its territory.
Wang told Kissinger that it would be “impossible” to try and change China, and “even more impossible to encircle and contain” his country.
The U.S. has also accused China of human rights violations in the remote province of Xinjiang, as well as in Tibet and Hong Kong.
A spokesman for the U.S. State Department told reporters Tuesday that officials with the administration of President Joe Biden had known Kissinger was planning to travel to China, but was not acting on behalf of the U.S. government.