Renowned former U.S. diplomat, Henry Kissinger, delivered a captivating video address to the participants of the World Economic Forum (WEF) 2023 in Davos, Switzerland.
In Beijing, Henry Kissinger, former U.S. Secretary of State, had a meeting with China’s defense minister, Li Shangfu, as the ministry officially stated.
The U.S. State Department clarified that Kissinger’s visit to Beijing was as a private citizen, not representing the U.S. government.
Kissinger expressed his friendship towards China during the unexpected meeting and urged both nations to enhance their collaboration, as per the statement.
“The United States and China should bridge their differences, maintain peaceful coexistence, and avoid conflict. History and experience have consistently shown that neither the United States nor China can afford to treat the other as an adversary,” translated Kissinger’s statement according to Reuters.
Without naming individuals, Li acknowledged that previous failure to meet China halfway had caused a decline in Sino-U.S. relations.
This meeting between Kissinger and Li coincides with John Kerry’s visit to Beijing for climate talks as the special presidential envoy for climate.
Kerry’s visit follows those of U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen and Secretary of State Antony Blinken in recent weeks.
During his visit in June, Blinken expressed his unsuccessful attempts to revive military-to-military discussions with China.
Diplomatic relations between these two global powers have severely strained in recent months due to trade disputes in the tech sector and escalating tensions around the Taiwan Strait. Li and his U.S. defense counterpart have yet to have an official conversation despite the security concerns.
Kissinger’s visit coincides with the anniversary of his secret visit to Beijing in July 1971, which paved the way for the normalization of relations between the U.S. and China under President Richard Nixon and Mao Zedong.
Even after more than five decades, the 100-year-old Kissinger is highly respected in China. An article in China’s Global Times newspaper in May mentioned Kissinger’s contributions to U.S.-China relations among his significant achievements.
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