'Good, old friend of Chinese people': Beijing hails Henry Kissinger's 'historic contributions' to US-China ties

China’s foreign ministry hailed the “historic contributions” made by late US diplomat Henry Kissinger to US-China ties, calling him an “old and good friend of the Chinese people.” Kissinger “had long been concerned about and supported the development of China-US relations, visiting China more than a hundred times and making historic contributions to promote the normalisation of China-US relations”, foreign ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin said. “During his life, Dr. Kissinger attached great importance to China-US relations and believed that they were vital to the peace and prosperity of the two countries and the world,” Wang said. Kissinger, a Nobel Prize winner, a diplomatic powerhouse whose roles as a national security adviser and secretary of state under two presidents left an indelible mark on US foreign policy died on Thursday. The former diplomat helped the US develop ties with China in the 1970s and helped the country out of its Mao-era isolation. President Xi Jinping, who met Kissinger in July, sent his message of condolence to US President Joe Biden on Thursday. ina and the United States should inherit and carry forward Dr. Kissinger’s strategic vision, political courage, and diplomatic wisdom," Wang said. That meant the two countries should “adhere to mutual respect, peaceful coexistence and win-win cooperation in accordance with the important consensus”, he added. With inputs from agencies