Xi Jinping welcomes ‘previous good friend’ Henry Kissinger as China and US relations at ‘crossroads’

China’s President Xi Jinping has welcomed former US Secretary of State Henry Kissinger to Beijing amid a frosty relationship between the 2 nations.

President Xi referred to the veteran politician as certainly one of China’s “old friends”, reminiscent of Mr Kissinger’s first go to 52 years in the past when he was instrumental in bridging the diplomatic hole between Washington and Beijing.

The president wished Mr Kissinger, who turned 100 in May, a “long and healthy life”.

His first go to had “great historic meaning” and marked a “turning point” for China-US relations, President Xi informed him.

“The Chinese people never forget their old friends and Sino-US relations will always be linked with the name of Henry Kissinger.”

In 1971, Mr Kissinger turned the primary high-ranking US official to go to communist China. As secretary of state, his secret conferences paved the best way for then US President Richard Nixon to go to the next yr.

‘At a crossroads’

President Xi identified that the 2 international locations had been now at a vital juncture.

“Once again, China and the US are at a crossroads of where to go from here, and once again, both sides need to make a choice.”

US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken is the one different American official to satisfy with the president in current weeks.

When they met final month, the Chinese president mentioned the 2 international locations had made “progress and reached agreement” on “some specific issues”.

Mr Blinken mentioned the 2 international locations had agreed on the necessity to stabilise their relationship and that the US would work with China in areas of mutual curiosity reminiscent of meals security.

However, he raised “concerns” about China’s “provocative” actions within the Taiwan Strait.

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Mr Kissinger has visited the nation greater than 100 occasions and his final journey to the capital was in 2019.

His journey this week was taken “under his own volition” a State Department spokesman mentioned this week.

Mr Kissinger additionally met with China’s prime diplomat Wang Yi and Defence Minister Li Shangfu.