China Honors Kissinger - A Cherished and Respected Old Comrade

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The death of Henry Kissinger on Wednesday marked the passing of a diplomat who Beijing has always viewed as a close and trusted ally. China's Foreign Ministry praised the former American secretary of state as a "pioneer and architect of China-US relations" for his significant role in the establishment of bilateral ties.

During a routine press conference, ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin paid homage to the recently deceased statesman, emphasizing "Dr. Kissinger's genuine dedication and significant impact on China-US relations will be remembered by the Chinese people." Wang also mentioned that Chinese leader Xi Jinping had expressed his condolences to President Joe Biden.

Kissinger's passing was also lamented on Chinese social media on Thursday, with his death becoming the most popular topic on the heavily-monitored microblogging site Weibo, garnering over 400 million views.

One top comment, with thousands of likes, read, "Goodbye, old friend of the Chinese people."

Regarded as a figure of significant influence and controversy in the United States and globally, Kissinger is esteemed in China for his pivotal role in establishing diplomatic ties between Beijing and Washington. This milestone was a crucial and far-reaching step in the country's reintegration into the global community.

Kissinger made history in July 1971 as the first senior US official to visit Communist China. His clandestine discussions with Chinese leaders set the stage for President Richard Nixon's groundbreaking trip the next year. This visit ultimately led to the normalization of relations between the two countries in 1979, connecting the world's wealthiest nation with its most populous.

Scott Kennedy, a senior adviser in Chinese Business and Economics at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) think tank in Washington, stated that Henry Kissinger is the most important diplomat of the 20th century, especially in relation to US-China relations. Even after leaving office, Beijing saw Kissinger as a potential ally in navigating the increasingly hostile views towards China in Washington. In recent years, Chinese state-controlled media has celebrated the former diplomat, showing their dissatisfaction with the tougher stance taken by US administrations.

Chinese state media emphasized Henry Kissinger's close relationship with China, highlighting his more than 100 visits to the country over the past 50 years. State broadcaster CCTV referred to him as a "living fossil" who has witnessed the evolution of US-China relations.

Numerous state-run outlets quoted from Kissinger's 2011 interview with the official news agency Xinhua, in which he stated, "China is the country with which I have the longest and most in-depth contacts. China has become a very important part of my life. Chinese friends are of extraordinary significance to me." Despite escalating tensions, Kissinger continued to advocate for positive engagement as a way to prevent conflict, even as recent US administrations grew increasingly concerned about China's assertive foreign policy and domestic authoritarianism.

Final visit

In July, Kissinger made his latest trip to China. During this time, the Biden administration was actively sending cabinet officials to the Chinese capital in order to mend broken communication channels ahead of Xi's potential visit to the US, which ultimately occurred earlier this month.

The fallout from an alleged Chinese spy balloon and a high-level US visit to Taiwan last summer contributed to a further deterioration in bilateral relations.

During his unexpected visit to Beijing, Kissinger was granted a meeting with Xi, who warmly referred to him as an "old friend." This distinguished him from US climate envoy John Kerry and Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen, who separately traveled to Beijing that same month and only met with their counterparts.

US President Joe Biden greets Chinese leader Xi Jinping before a bilateral meeting in Woodside, California on Wednesday.

Brendan Smialowski/AFP/Getty Images

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During the meeting, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi advised Kissinger that US policies towards China needed to be handled with the same diplomatic wisdom and political courage as demonstrated by Kissinger and Nixon. The Chinese state media held up Kissinger as a prime example of "old friends diplomacy" during his visit, which reflects China's practice of highlighting international figures who have helped maintain positive and stable relations with the country. This was noted by Alfred Wu, an associate professor at the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy at the National University of Singapore.

Wu stated that the Chinese media is clearly trying to portray Kissinger as a forward-thinking diplomat with goodwill towards easing tensions between the two countries, while implying that other current diplomats do not share the same qualities. Additionally, Wu mentioned that Beijing is not actually seeking to become a "close friend" of the US in its diplomatic efforts. Wu also noted that Kissinger and the Flying Tigers are part of the narrative that Xi Jinping is promoting as the golden age of US-China relations, as highlighted in state media coverage leading up to Xi's visit to the US.

Creative diplomacy

Some Chinese intellectuals have "mixed feelings" about Kissinger's legacy, with some contending that he only sought to promote peace with China and did not take into account the political realities of China, Wu added.

Henry Kissinger's secret visit to China in 1971 as Nixon's national security advisor marked a significant turning point in the previously hostile and isolated relationship between the two nations. During his meeting with Chinese Premier Zhou Enlai, and a subsequent visit later that year, the groundwork was laid for Nixon's historic trip the following February and the signing of the Shanghai Communique, which set the stage for efforts to normalize relations between the two countries.

The formalized tectonic shift in US-China relations eight years later paved the way for substantial economic engagement in the early 1980s. Additionally, experts suggest that it also altered the balance of power in the Cold War between the US and the Soviet Union by further dividing Moscow and Beijing.

Celebration of Henry A. Kissingers 100th birthday held at Stadttheater in Fuerth, on June 20, 2023.

ddp images/SIPAPRE/Sipa/AP

Xi hails old friend Kissinger during meeting that harks back to an era of warmer ties

But getting there was a significant challenge.

During the 1960s, various voices in the United States quietly advocated for a path towards normalization with China. President Kennedy mentioned at CSIS in Washington that it required careful and wise diplomacy to make this a reality, emphasizing the management of key differences by both sides.

Fifty years later, the pragmatic approach of Kissinger and his efforts to set aside ideological differences for strategic purposes appear to contrast with the recent trajectory of US-China relations. While Biden and Xi met earlier this month to alleviate tensions, their friendly public gestures downplayed the mutual mistrust, with each side viewing the other as attempting to exploit or manipulate the current world order to their advantage.

Kennedy stated that the shifting domestic politics in the US and China make it more challenging to find a pragmatic balance. He also expressed skepticism about the possibility of engaging in creative diplomacy with China and other countries with significant differences, such as what Kissinger was able to do.