Henry Kissinger Photo: VCG

Chinese top diplomat Wang Yi visited the US Embassy in China on Tuesday to express condolences for the passing of former US Secretary of State Henry Kissinger. Wang stated that Kissinger was an old friend of the Chinese people and had made historic contributions to the normalization of China-US relations, which the Chinese people will always remember.

Wang, also a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and director of the Office of the Foreign Affairs Commission of the CPC Central Committee, wrote in the condolence book to express deep mourning over the passing of Kissinger. Wang stated that time has proven and will continue to prove that the political decisions made by Kissinger and Chinese leaders at that time were in line with the fundamental interests of the people from both countries, the trend of the times, and the expectations of the international community.

According to Kissinger Associates on Wednesday, Kissinger passed away at home in Connecticut. For many Chinese people, Kissinger represented an era of China-US engagement when American policymakers had the vision and courage to overcome ideological barriers and make the right choice in line with the historical trend.

Over the years, Kissinger always viewed China's development objectively and in a friendly way, firmly believing that the two major countries of China and the US should and must coexist peacefully. He was adept at finding common ground and cooperation opportunities from the differences between China and the US, demonstrating his foresight and wisdom as a diplomat, strategist, and politician, according to Wang.

Wang emphasized that President Xi Jinping and President Biden had held a successful meeting in San Francisco, where they had in-depth communication on strategic, overarching and fundamental issues concerning China-US relations and reached a series of important consensus. This is conducive to the improvement and development of bilateral relations towards a healthy, stable, and sustainable direction. 

Both sides should implement the consensus reached by the two heads of state, and it is hoped that the US side will work with China, take more actions that are conducive to enhancing understanding and strengthening cooperation, and take practical actions to maintain the stability and momentum of improvement in China-US relations, Wang noted.

Global Times