Just two days ago, Henry Kissinger, a well-known American diplomat and former Secretary of State, passed away at his home in Connecticut at the age of 100.
What impact will the death of this "old friend of the Chinese people" and a heavyweight of the pro-China faction in the United States have on Sino-US relations?
Before answering this question, let's talk about his 100-year legendary life.
Kissinger was born in Germany in May 1923 and moved to the United States with his family in 1933.
It should be said that his parents were still prescient, because if they had stayed in Germany, they would probably have become the ghosts of concentration camps in World War II, because Kissinger's family was a Jewish family.
In 1943, Kissinger officially became a U.S. citizen and enlisted in the U.S. Army. After the outbreak of World War II, Kissinger joined the army.
After the war, he entered Harvard University, where he completed his bachelor's and master's degrees, and finally obtained a doctorate in philosophy. So it's not an honorific title to call him Dr. Kissinger, he's a real Harvard Ph.D.
After graduating with his Ph.D., he taught at Harvard University's School of International Relations. Although he studied philosophy, he studied international affairs, international relations, and soon gained some popularity in the United States.
In 1968, he began his ventures, becoming a foreign affairs adviser to Democratic candidate Nelson Rockefeller.
Later, after Rockefeller failed in **, Kissinger's talent was appreciated by Nixon, who won **, and invited him to serve as ***'s affairs assistant.
During this period, Kissinger, through his own judgment of international politics, put forward a proposal to "unite with China to resist the Soviet Union", which was accepted by Nixon.
However, this plan was very difficult to realize, because at that time China and the United States were in a hostile relationship, and there were no official exchangesBut that didn't bother Kissinger.
In July 1971, Kissinger visited Pakistan. Then, on the grounds that he suddenly fell ill and needed to recuperate, he avoided many reporters. Overnight, he flew to Beijing on a Pakistani Boeing 707 plane and held talks with Premier Zhou Lai. This meeting laid the foundation and paved the way for the subsequent visit of the United States to China.
In 1972, he accompanied Nixon** on a visit to China, thus opening the ice-breaking journey between China and the United States.
Although after 1975, he gradually faded out of ** and returned to teaching at the university.
However, his influence in the United States is still very large. Because not only on relations with China, but also on the Vietnam War and the Middle East issues, many of his views and views can be accepted by the United States.
Moreover, throughout his life, Kissinger visited China more than 100 times, an average of twice a year, and had very close personal relationships with several generations of our leaders.
In addition, although he has left **, his students, his friends, and many of them are veterans of American politics and business. As a result, he also has a lot of influence at the top of the United States.
It can be said that he is a figure who can speak to the top level of both China and the United States. It is precisely because of such a special role that he will play a special role every time Sino-US relations reach some critical moments.
Even though there are many official channels of communication between China and the United States, Kissinger's role is indispensable.
His death is obviously a great loss for us, because he was a heavyweight of the pro-China faction in the United States. After his death, the United States can not say that there is less like him, but it is gone.
At present, Sino-US relations are at the lowest point since the establishment of diplomatic relations, and it is also a critical period at a crossroads.
Therefore, the death of this centenarian has obviously cast a shadow on the subsequent development of Sino-US relations.
How to view Kissinger's influence on Sino-US relations