Chinese President Xi gets nostalgic with 'old friend' Kissinger in Beijing
Xi Jinping talks with Henry Kissinger during a meeting at the Diaoyutai State Guesthouse in Beijing. AP
“I respect you very much, and the Chinese never forget their old friends,” with these words that carry great and many meanings, Chinese President Xi Jinping directed his speech to former US Secretary of State and veteran diplomat Henry Kissinger.
"The Chinese people never forget their old friends, and China-US relations will always be associated with the name of Henry Kissinger," Xi told him at the Diaoyutai State Guesthouse, where foreign dignitaries are received.
The Chinese president went on to say: "There is an old saying in China that a virtuous man must live a long life, and you just celebrated your 100th birthday. I wish you a long life."
Noting that Kissinger had just celebrated his 100th birthday and visited China more than 100 times, President Xi said his visit this time is of "special significance."
Kissinger, who is highly respected in China and has made regular visits since leaving office, said he was grateful to Beijing for arranging the meeting at the building, where he met Chinese leaders during his first visit.
The regret
On the other hand, the White House expressed its regret that Kissinger received a larger audience in Beijing than some current US officials, after Kissinger held talks in China.
A pivotal role
Kissinger played a pivotal role in normalizing relations between Washington and Beijing in the 1970s, when he was Secretary of State and National Security Adviser in the administrations of Presidents Richard Nixon and Gerald Ford.
The White House said it was aware of the trip, but it was a private visit by an American citizen.
The 100-year-old Kissinger has met with China's top diplomat, Wang Yi, and Defense Minister Li Shangfu, who refuses direct talks with US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin.
Meeting with the Minister of Defense
China's defense minister, who was appointed in March, remains under US sanctions over his role in a 2017 arms purchase from Rosoboronexport, Russia's largest arms exporter.
Chinese officials have been calling for these sanctions, which were imposed in 2018, to be dropped, in order to facilitate discussions between the two countries.
"It is unfortunate that an ordinary citizen can meet with the Secretary of Defense and make a call that the United States cannot," said John Kirby, a spokesman for the White House National Security Council.
He added, “This is something we want to solve. This is why we continue to try to reopen military lines of communication; because when it is not open and we are going through a time like this when tensions are high and miscalculations are also high, then the risks rise.”
Kirby said administration officials "look forward to hearing from Kissinger when he returns, to hear what he heard, what he learned, and what he saw."
Tensions have escalated between the world's two largest economies over a host of issues, including the war in Ukraine, the Taiwan issue and trade restrictions.
Washington has tried to re-establish communication channels to address these and other issues, through high-level diplomatic visits recently.
US presidential envoy John Kerry concluded lengthy talks with Beijing on efforts to tackle climate change on Wednesday.
The current US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken also visited Beijing last month.
President Joe Biden said last month that he wants to meet Xi in the coming months.
Some officials hope to have face-to-face talks as soon as the G-20 summit in September in New Delhi, or the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation meeting scheduled for November in San Francisco.
