Path to military conflict diverted by Xi-Biden summit: Henry Kissinger
- US elder statesman who helped re-establish ties with China in the 1970s urges Washington and Beijing to continue engagement
- The former secretary of state’s remarks were made in pre-recorded address to China business group’s Lunar New Year gala in New York
The man who helped re-establish US-China ties in the 1970s also urged Washington and Beijing to continue their engagement.
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When ping-pong helped put China-US diplomacy on the table before Nixon’s visit 50 years ago
Kissinger, 99, who accompanied presidents Richard Nixon and Gerald Ford to China, said there are schools of thought in America that believe China is preparing for a confrontation with the US, while in China there are groups that believe the US is trying to keep China in a secondary position.
“Such suspicions and tendencies would lead to conflict. Fortunately, recently President Biden and Xi met in Bali and stated an intention to reverse this trend,” he said, in a pre-recorded video address to a Lunar New Year gala organised by the US chapter of the China General Chamber of Commerce (CGCC) in New York.
“I have every confidence that the president and secretary of state [Antony Blinken] intend to move towards a relationship more compatible with peace and development in the world,” he said.
The business association gave Kissinger its first lifetime achievement award.
