Why is ex-US diplomat Henry Kissinger in China?

Former United States secretary of state Henry Kissinger met top Chinese diplomat Wang Yi in Beijing on Wednesday (19 July). A day back, the 100-year-old American held talks with China’s defence minister Li Shangfu. Washington said it was aware of Kissinger’s surprise visit to China, saying that he was not there on behalf of the US government.

Kissinger’s visit coincides with US climate envoy John Kerry’s trip to the Asian nation aimed at spurring cooperation between the world’s two biggest polluters, noted The Washington Post. These visits come at a time when ties between the US and China have plunged to a historic low.

What is Henry Kissinger doing in China? How have the US and China been trying to improve relations? We explain.

Henry Kissinger and China

The ex-US diplomat continues to be a revered figure in China for his efforts to kickstart diplomatic relations between the two countries over 50 years ago.

It was his surprise visit to Beijing in July 1971 as US national security adviser that paved the way for the landmark trip of Richard Nixon, the then-American president, to the Asian country the following year.

The US and China officially recognised each other in 1979.

Even after leaving office, Kissinger has visited China and met Chinese officials several times. He last met Chinese president Xi Jinping in November 2019, when the latter had lauded the veteran diplomat for his “positive efforts” in promoting the development of relations between the two countries, reported Xinhua news agency.

In May, an article in China’s Global Times newspaper praised Kissinger’s “razor-sharp” mind.

Henry Kissinger meets top China officials

Wang Yi, China’s head of foreign relations, told the former US state secretary that the US needs “Kissinger-style diplomatic wisdom” in its policies towards Beijing.

Referring to Kissinger as “an old friend”, Wang commended his “historic contributions to the ice-breaking development of China-US relations”.

“US policy toward China requires the diplomatic wisdom of Kissinger and the political courage of Nixon,” Wang told Kissinger in a meeting in Beijing, according to China’s foreign ministry statement.

He also told the centenarian that it is “impossible to contain or encircle” China.

“China’s development has a strong endogenous momentum and inevitable historical logic, and it is impossible to try to transform China, and it is even more impossible to encircle and contain China,” AFP cited the statement as saying.

On Taiwan, Wang told Kissinger that the US should stay away from “Taiwan independence separatist activities” if it wants stability across the Taiwan Strait, reported Reuters.

This meeting came a day after Kissinger met the Chinese defence minister who is under US sanctions. Li was sanctioned by Washington in 2018 over China’s purchase of Russian weapons. He became the country’s defence minister earlier this year.

As per Xinhua, Li told Kissinger that he hoped the US will “work with China to implement the consensus reached by the leaders of the two countries and promote the healthy and stable development of relations between the two countries and their militaries”.

According to a readout from the Chinese defence ministry on Tuesday, Li said “friendly communication” between the world’s two biggest economies had been “destroyed” because “some people in the United States did not meet China halfway”, reported The Guardian.

Kissinger said he was in Beijing “as a friend of China,” and that “the United States and China should eliminate misunderstandings, coexist peacefully, and avoid confrontation”, said the readout.

“Neither the US nor China can afford to treat the other as an adversary. If the two countries go to war, it will not lead to any meaningful results for the two peoples,” the veteran reportedly said.

Kissinger has often warned of “catastrophic” ramifications if a conflict breaks out between the US and China.

US State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller told reporters on Tuesday that Kissinger met with Li in his capacity as a “private citizen” and not on behalf of the Biden administration.

US-China relations

The US and China have made attempts to reduce tensions.

Several senior American officials have visited China in the past weeks after US secretary of state, Antony Blinken, went to Beijing in June.

Blinken was the first highest-ranking US official to visit China since 2018. Since then, US treasury secretary Janet Yellen and John Kerry have travelled to the Asian country.

The ties between the two countries had further spiralled downwards following then-US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s trip to Taiwan last August. This led to Beijing cutting some mid- and high-level contacts with the US, including high-level military communications.

Beijing has cited Washington’s “unilateral sanctions,” as an “obstacle” in reopening military-to-military dialogues.

Besides increased tensions over Taiwan, the US and China are engaged in disputes over tariffs, access to technology and human rights.

Kerry, who was visiting China from 16 to 19 July for climate talks, told Wang that Biden hoped the two countries could “achieve efforts together that can make a significant difference to the world.”

The Chinese diplomat said Beijing believes “we can find a proper solution to any problems” through resumed talks, adding that dialogue must be carried out on an “equal basis”, reported AP. 

With inputs from agencies