What Henry Kissinger Told Xi Jinping on China Visit

Former U.S. Secretary of State Henry Kissinger has told Chinese President Xi Jinping that the relationship between the U.S. and China is "central to the peace in the world."

Kissinger, who is now 100 years old, made the remarks during a surprise visit to the Chinese capital of Beijing. He spoke to Xi at the Diaoyutai State Guesthouse, a diplomatic complex where he first met Chinese officials in 1971.

Kissinger's visit comes amid ongoing tensions between the U.S. and China. American officials have said that Kissinger is acting in his personal capacity and not as representative of the Biden administration.

Video of Kissinger's meeting with Xi was shared by Chinese state broadcaster CCTV NEWS on Wednesday and showed a brief exchange between the president and Kissinger. Newsweek has reached out to the Chinese Foreign Ministry via email for comment.

Xi, speaking in Chinese, told Kissinger, per CCTV News: "We never forget our old friends, and will never forget your historic contribution to the development of China-U.S. relations and the enhancement of friendship between the two peoples."

Kissinger said to Xi: "It is a great privilege to be able to visit China, and it is extraordinarily courteous of you to arrange the meeting in Villa 5 of the state guesthouse where my first meeting with the Chinese leaders took place.

"And the relations between our two countries would be central to the peace in the world and the progress of our societies," Kissinger added.

The former secretary of state has reportedly visited China 100 times since his first trip to Beijing in 1971. His meeting with Xi is an indication of the high regard in which he is held by the Chinese government.

Secretary of State Antony Blinken met Xi in June, but the Chinese president did not meet with Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen or U.S. Special Presidential Envoy for Climate John Kerry on their recent trips to Beijing.

Kissinger was a crucial figure in establishing formal U.S. diplomatic relations with China in the 1970s during former President Richard Nixon's administration. He paid secret visits to the country in 1971 when no diplomatic relations existed between the two countries.

Those trips to Beijing were used to plan a visit by Nixon, a Republican, in 1972 that eventually led to the normalization of relations with China, which had been diplomatically isolated from most of the world.

China has increasingly been seen as a U.S. adversary, particularly among Republicans who have taken a hardline against the country.

Republicans on the House Committee on Foreign Affairs took aim at Kerry, who is also a former secretary of state, during a hearing last week. They said his approach to getting China to reduce carbon emissions wasn't strong enough.