According to WeChat***Chinese Embassy in the United States", on December 3, Chinese Ambassador to the United States Xie Feng published a signed article in the South China Morning Post entitled "Striving to promote the healthy and stable development of China-US relations is the best commemoration of Dr. Kissinger". The paper version appeared in the newspaper on December 4. The full text is as follows:
The first time I heard the name Henry Kissinger was in 1971. I was 7 years old at the time, and I heard on the radio that the president and the prime minister had met with "Dr. Kissinger, assistant for U.S. affairs." I learned later that this marked the beginning of the normalization of relations between China and the United States.
Ten years later, I went to university at the Foreign Affairs University, and my Ph.D.'s "The White House Years" was a must-read for me and my classmates. The "balance of power theory" and the "minuet" diplomatic art he put forward were the topics of heated discussion and further stimulated our keen interest in the cause of diplomacy.
After graduating, I joined *** and have been engaged in work with the United States since the 90s of the last century, and I have had the privilege of participating in many meetings between Chinese leaders and doctors. After arriving in the U.S. in May this year, one of the first American friends I visited was a Ph.D. The day before the Doctor's 100th birthday, I went to his home in Connecticut to hand over a congratulatory letter from the President. Since then, we have had six long talks. Now that I think about it, it would have been nice to have more opportunities to hear from him.
Dr. Kissinger was perceptive. His story of diligence and thoughtfulness has been widely told, and he wrote a 383-page ** as early as a student, so that his alma mater, Harvard, had to introduce the "Kissinger Rule" to limit the length of undergraduate graduation to 150 pages. His profound and philosophical words, combined with his distinctive German accent, made it quite a challenge for the documentaries.
His deep thinking has led to an outstanding strategic vision. In the early '70s, when China and the United States had been isolated from each other for 22 years, Nixon and Dr. Nixon foresaw the changes of the times and opened the door to relations with Chinese leaders. After retiring from public office, Dr. continued to pay close attention to the development of China-US relations, and proposed that the two countries should evolve together and coexist peacefully. In his 90s, he has developed a strong interest in cutting-edge technology, is keenly aware of the disruptive impact that artificial intelligence can bring, and has spoken out for relevant dialogue and cooperation between China and the United States.
Dr. Kissinger was determined. As a patriot, the first consideration of the PhD was, of course, the interests of the United States. At the same time, he is good at looking at his country's interests from a broad perspective and exploring common ground while reserving differences with a broad picture. He firmly believed that Sino-US peace and cooperation conformed to the fundamental interests of the two countries and the world, and made it his lifelong pursuit to promote the development of Sino-US relations and enhance the friendship between the two peoples. "I have spent almost half of my life in the U.S.-China relationship," the doctor said.
He has visited China more than 100 times and embarked on another trip to China after his 100th birthday in July this year. **The chairman specially held a banquet in Building 5 of the Diaoyutai State Guesthouse, which was also the place where the doctor visited China for the first time to meet the prime minister. I still vividly remember Dr. proudly taking me on a tour of the "China Corner" in his office and telling the story behind each photo he took with Chinese leaders. "I may go to China again," he said, with a look of anticipation in his eyes.
Despite his 100-year-old age, Dr. Ph.D. is still full of energy and works more than 10 hours a day. I met Dr. at the annual dinner of the National Committee on U.S.-China Relations at the end of October, and he told me that he was not feeling well that day, and that the doctor had advised him not to come, but he insisted on coming. As soon as he was in the spotlight, the doctor talked eloquently about Sino-US relations and delivered an impromptu speech for more than ten minutes, winning the house with thorough wisdom, meticulous logic, and humorous language.
The doctor is open-minded and loves life. At the end of May, I celebrated his 100th birthday in New York, eating squirrel fish and tasting Moutai wine, but his favorite was Peking duck. According to the doctor's son, David, his father's "regimen" included grilled sausages and Wiener schnitzel. I think we have to add Chinese food.
On November 15, the President and Biden held a historic meeting in San Francisco, opening up the "San Francisco Vision" for the future. The doctor is very concerned about this. I had been planning to visit again since I came back from San Francisco, but I never had the opportunity again.
The earth is big enough for China and the United States to develop separately and together, and our success is an opportunity for each other. Let us follow up on the important consensus reached by the two heads of state, make the San Francisco Vision a reality, and jointly promote the healthy, stable and sustainable development of China-US relations. I think that's the best way to remember Dr. Henry Kissinger.