On December 2, the United States "Wall Street" published an article entitled "In China, Henry Kissinger is the ultimate opener", which is compiled as follows
Until the last weeks of his life, Henry Kissinger was influencing the U.S.-China dealings.
His Nov. 29 death at the age of 100 prompted the two countries to recall how the former secretary of state's secret trip to Beijing more than half a century ago paved the way for Nixon's major 1972 visit to normalize relations between the United States and China.
These memories are especially tender in China, where Kissinger has played a unique role: he has been the only American who has been allowed to meet with China's top leaders since the beginning of his life.
Over the years, Kissinger has applied his skills in navigating the corridors of power to roles that have kept him in shape. The Chinese side said that Kissinger has made more than 100 visits to China, and although many of them have been low-key, China's successive leaders have used his visits to demonstrate to Washington that China intends to dialogue.
China sent a message of condolences to Biden on Kissinger's death. Despite the tension in bilateral relations, President Kissinger was welcomed in Beijing in July. A spokesman for China said on November 30: "Dr. Kissinger is an old friend and good friend of the Chinese people, and a pioneer and builder of Sino-US relations. ”
The United States after Nixon also listened to Kissinger's advice. Secretary of State Antony Blinken praised Kissinger's "numerous decisions that changed history" and his "lasting mark," including Kissinger's interactions with China.
Kissinger's U.S. policy toward China has changed the world landscape. Previously, the two countries had been estranged for more than 20 years, facing each other directly in the Korean War and against each other in the Vietnam War. Rapprochement with China helped the United States extricate itself from Vietnam, allowing Beijing and Washington to work together against the Soviet Union.
This paved the way for the establishment of diplomatic relations between the United States and China in the late 70s of the 20th century and the severance of diplomatic relations between the United States and the Taiwan authorities, and made it easier for American companies to enter China after China began to implement market economy policies.
After stepping down from his position in 1977, Kissinger's influence in China remained significant, not least because he was seen as a consistent advocate of engagement between the two countries.
In 2011, when the relationship between the two countries was put to the test, Kissinger wrote in his book "On China" published that year: "The relationship between China and the United States does not need and should not be a zero-sum game." "This book is an attempt to introduce China to American readers. Although relations between the two countries have since taken a sharp turn for the worse, he has maintained this view.
After U.S.-China relations plummeted to new lows this year, Biden tried to stop the spiral by sending a barrage of high-level officials to Beijing. Against this background, Kissinger appeared in Beijing shortly after his 100th birthday to meet with the Chinese leader. Kissinger said: "The relationship between our two countries is about world peace and the progress of human society. ”
In October, a frail but sober-minded Kissinger noted that he had spent about half of his life on U.S.-China relations and warned New York listeners that "these two countries have a unique ability to bring peace and progress to the world, and if they do not cooperate, they have a unique ability to destroy the world." (Compiled by Ge Xuelei).