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US-China relations
ChinaDiplomacy

Exclusive | Henry Kissinger’s ‘heart-to-heart’ talks with Xi Jinping in China planned months in advance

  • The elder statesman’s meeting with the Chinese leader is in contrast to Janet Yellen and John Kerry’s recent trips
  • ‘Both sides’ expect the elder statesman to convey his views on China’s thinking to Washington, a source said

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Former US secretary of state Henry Kissinger meets President Xi Jinping during the elder statesman’s visit to China this week. Photo: Weibo
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Henry Kissinger is in Beijing for a “private trip” to get a better understanding of the Chinese leadership’s thinking and will share his impressions with the US government when he returns home, according to a source familiar with the visit.
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The visit was planned at least two months ago, the source said. Travelling as a private citizen – and as someone respected by political elites in both capitals – the centenarian hopes to hold more heart-to-heart talks with Chinese leaders, which are often difficult on official visits.

State broadcaster CCTV reported on Thursday that Chinese President Xi Jinping met Kissinger at the Diaoyutai state guest house in Beijing – in stark contrast to visits by US officials in recent days which excluded meetings with the Chinese leader.

As former president Richard Nixon’s secretary of state, Kissinger played a pivotal role in preparing the ground for formal ties between Beijing and Washington in the 1970s and is still held in high esteem in China.

Xi told Kissinger that he and other former US leaders had made the “correct choice” to normalise US-China relations, a move that “benefited the two countries and changed the world”, according to the report.

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“Chinese people value friendship and we will never forget our old friend and your historic contribution to promoting the development of US-China relations and enhancing the friendship between Chinese and American people,” Xi said.

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