Renowned geopolitical strategist Henry Kissinger, on an unofficial visit, arrives in the Asian giant after Beijing recently received three US government officials officially. Given his past experience with the Chinese government, the meeting carries a symbolic connotation. The former Secretary of State met with President XI Jinping and other senior communist government officials. The White House does not agree with these meetings.
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More than 50 years have passed since one of the most remembered chapters of world diplomacy in modern history: the opening of relations between the United States and Mao Zedong’s communist China. The architect of that policy was Henry Kissinger, then National Security Adviser to US President Richard Nixon (1969-1974).
Today, at 100 years of age, the also former Secretary of State returned to the Asian giant in a complex context in relations between Beijing and Washington. The visit of the centennial politician is not official and the total exchange of information is unknown.
His visit follows approaches from three senior Biden administration officials: Secretary of State Antony Blinken, Secretary of the Treasury Janet Yellen, and United States Special Presidential Envoy for Climate John Kerry.
This Thursday Kissinger held the most important meeting during his stay when he met Xi Jinping, Chinese president and general secretary of the Communist Party of China. According to a statement issued by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Asian country, Xi told the visitor that “China and the United States are once again at the crossroads of where to go, and the two sides must make new decisions.”.
The president also said that “looking to the future, China and the United States can achieve success and prosperity together.””.
The meeting is read as a rapprochement effort between Washington and Beijing. It took place at the same site where Kissinger first met, in secret, with Chinese leaders in the 1970s to boost diplomatic relations between their nations.
In this sense, the Asian head of state recalled that Kissinger has made more than a hundred trips to China, but that this one had a “special importance”. “The Chinese people never forget their old friends, and Sino-US relations will always be linked with the name of Henry Kissinger.”, pointed out the also head of the Central Military Commission of his country.
For his part, Kissinger highlighted a key issue for the Chinese: Taiwan. “Under the current circumstances it is imperative to uphold the principles established by the Shanghai statementappreciate the utmost importance China attaches to the one-China principle and move the relationship forward in a positive direction”.
The words of the former Secretary of State are a balm for Xi in the face of the differences that China has had with the United States in reference to the sovereignty of Taiwan.
Beijing still does not forgive the visit of former Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi to Taiwan and neither does the Taiwanese president’s activities with the current Speaker of the House, Kevin McCarthy.
Although China draws a red line with its “one China policy” to maintain a good diplomatic relationship with any country, the United States continues to apply, with more force at this historical stage, its concept of strategic ambiguity, in which, despite acknowledging that there is only one China, it has excellent relations with Taiwan.
Meetings with senior leaders
Kissinger also spoke with Chinese Defense Minister Li Shangfu. He advocated that “misunderstandings be eliminated”, they can coexist peacefully and “avoid confrontation”. Aspects necessary to preserve peace between the two powers, key to safeguarding stability and global prosperity.
“History and facts have repeatedly shown that neither the US nor China can afford the cost of treating each other as opponents.”, stated the experienced author of important political works such as “La Diplomacy”.
The Communist Party’s foreign relations chairman and former Chinese foreign minister Wang Yi also had a moment of exchanges with Kissinger and used stronger words at the meeting. According to Yi, it is “impossible” to transform, contain or encircle China.
White House reaction
“It is unfortunate that a private citizen can meet with the defense minister…and the United States cannot,” said White House Security Council spokesman John Kirby.
“That’s something we want to figure out. That’s why we keep trying to reopen the military lines of communication, because when they’re not open and you have a moment like this when tensions are high, miscalculations as well, then the risk goes up,” Kirby said.
The official also stressed that the members of the administration “hope to listen to the secretary kissinger when he returns, listen to what he heard, what he learned and what he saw”. According to the Reuters agency, President Joe Biden wants to meet with Xi in the coming months.
With Reuters, EFE and AP
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