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       Kissinger Meets Top Officials in China and Gets a Warm Greeting

       At 100, Henry Kissinger met with China’s top diplomat as well as its defense minister, who last month rejected an invitation to meet with the U.S. defense secretary.

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       China’s leader, Xi Jinping, meeting Henry Kissinger, the former U.S. secretary of state, in 2019 at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing. Credit...Pool photo by Jason Lee

       By Vivian Wang

       Reporting from Beijing

       Published July 18, 2023Updated July 19, 2023, 8:29 a.m. ET

       阅读简体中文版 阅读繁体中文版

       Henry A. Kissinger, the 100-year-old former secretary of state who has pushed the United States to take a more conciliatory approach to China, has made a surprise visit to Beijing, meeting with China’s top foreign policy official and its defense minister.

       The reception for Mr. Kissinger, who more than 50 years ago helped pave the way for diplomatic ties between the United States and China during President Richard M. Nixon’s administration, was warmer than those for current American officials who have visited Beijing recently to try and stabilize U.S.-China relations. While the U.S. officials have faced varying levels of chilliness or lecturing from their Chinese counterparts or state media, Mr. Kissinger, whose arrival was abruptly announced on Tuesday evening, was welcomed effusively.

       “The doctor has made historic contributions to breaking the ice in China-U.S. relations, and played an irreplaceable role in enhancing understanding between the two countries,” said Wang Yi, China’s top diplomat, according to a statement by China’s foreign ministry on Wednesday. (Mr. Kissinger holds a doctorate from Harvard.) “American policy toward China needs Kissinger-style diplomatic wisdom, and Nixon-style political bravery,” Mr. Wang said.

       The fact that Mr. Kissinger met with the defense minister, Li Shangfu, on Tuesday, was another symbol of his favored status in China. Beijing last month rebuffed a request for Mr. Li to meet Defense Secretary Lloyd J. Austin III, at a forum in Singapore. China blamed the refusal on U.S. sanctions against Mr. Li.

       Mr. Kissinger told Mr. Li that he was “here as a friend of China,” according to the defense ministry’s description of the meeting, and that the two countries should “eliminate misunderstandings, coexist peacefully and avoid confrontation.”

       He told Mr. Wang that “no matter how difficult it is, both sides should treat each other as equals,” and that “it is unacceptable to try and isolate the other side,” the foreign ministry said.

       Mr. Kissinger did not immediately release his own descriptions of the meetings.

       At the same time as Mr. Kissinger was in Beijing, President Biden’s climate envoy, John Kerry, was also meeting officials in the Chinese capital. In recent weeks, the current secretary of state, Antony J. Blinken, and the treasury secretary, Janet L. Yellen, have also traveled to Beijing.

       A State Department spokesman told reporters at a regularly scheduled briefing on Tuesday that the Biden administration had known that Mr. Kissinger was planning to travel to China. But Mr. Kissinger was “there under his own volition, not acting on behalf of the United States government,” the spokesman, Matthew Miller, said.

       Still, Mr. Miller noted that Mr. Kissinger had briefed American officials on his interactions with Chinese officials in the past, and that similar conversations could occur after this trip.

       It was not immediately clear how long Mr. Kissinger would be in Beijing or whether he would meet with other officials, including China’s leader, Xi Jinping. Mr. Xi and Mr. Kissinger met in Beijing in 2019, when Mr. Xi told Mr. Kissinger that he hoped he would “enjoy many more healthy years ahead and continue to be a promoter of and contributor to Sino-U.S. relations,” according to Xinhua, China’s state news agency.

       Wu Xinbo, the dean of international studies at Fudan University in Shanghai, said that China’s warmth toward Mr. Kissinger sent a message about how much importance China placed on “old friends.” That friendship contrasted with the more aggressive stances toward Beijing taken by recent American presidential administrations.

       “This symbolism is very important,” he said. “I think Kissinger’s visit to China is meant to send a signal, that China-U.S. relations should be viewed from a historical perspective.” He added, “You can’t just pay attention to short-term political needs.”

       In the same way, Professor Wu said, Mr. Kissinger’s meeting with Mr. Li, the defense minister, was another reminder to the United States that China would not resume direct military-to-military communications until the United States lifted its sanctions. Chinese officials had rejected Mr. Blinken’s request to reopen those channels during his visit.

       The Chinese defense ministry’s statement about the meeting with Mr. Kissinger said that Mr. Li had criticized “some people in the United States” for “not meeting China halfway,” noting that the atmosphere for friendly communication had been “destroyed.”

       Chinese state media has showered Mr. Kissinger with praise.

       In an article in May, for Mr. Kissinger’s 100th birthday, the Global Times, a nationalistic party-run tabloid, said Mr. Kissinger was “legendary,” and “still keeps his great mind razor-sharp on U.S.-China relations by explicitly warning Washington” against an adversarial relationship.

       Joy Dong and Amy Chang Chien contributed research.

       Vivian Wang is a China correspondent based in Beijing, where she writes about how the country's global rise and ambitions are shaping the daily lives of its people. More about Vivian Wang

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