CEDPR fondly remembers old friend Dr Kissinger

CEDPR expresses its deepest condolences on the death of Dr Henry Kissinger, former US Secretary of State, who passed away at his home in Connecticut on 29 November 2023 at the age of 100. Dr Kissinger was a giant of contemporary world history who contributed immensely to the establishment of the world's foremost bilateral relationship between China and the United States, and to world peace, in the first and last 50 years of the 21st century. China and the United States have lost a wise leader, an astute statesman, and a keen observer of Sino-American relations.

CEDPR deeply recognises the importance of avoiding public confrontation, as reiterated by Dr Kissinger, whose visit to China as President Nixon's special envoy in July 1971 made a historic contribution to the opening of the door to US-China relations. Over the past half century, Kissinger has made more than 100 visits to China, and is known as "an old friend of the Chinese people", who has provided many insights into the development of China-U.S. relations. This year, Dr Kissinger has also maintained close contact and exchanges with various sectors in China, and visited China in July.

Chinese President Xi Jinping has sent a message of condolence to President Biden on the death of Dr Kissinger, expressing his deep sorrow over his passing. Wang Wenbin, spokesman for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, also said that Dr Kissinger had attached great importance to China-U.S. relations before his death, and that China and the U.S. should inherit and carry forward Dr Kissinger's strategic vision, political courage and diplomatic wisdom, and, in accordance with the important consensus reached at the San Francisco meeting between the Chinese and U.S. heads of state, adhere to the principle of mutual respect, peaceful coexistence and win-win co-operation, so as to promote the healthy, stable and sustainable development of China-U.S. relations.

CEDPR has been in contact with Dr. Kissinger for many years, and on June 28, 2011, CEDPR, as a member of the 2005 Committee of the European American Chamber of Commerce, invited Dr. Kissinger to attend a breakfast meeting at the International Club in Beijing, where he exchanged views with elites in the Chinese study abroad community. The atmosphere of the breakfast meeting was very warm and cordial, and the participants asked questions on Sino-US exchanges, trade relations, the development of social diversity, and the growth of the middle class in China. Questions were asked about US-China exchanges, trade relations, the development of social diversity, and the growth of China's middle class.

From 21 to 22 November 2019, CEDPR and Dr Kissinger attended the 2019 Innovation Economy Forum co-organised by the China Center for International Economic Exchanges (CIEE) and Bloomberg, where they deliberated with more than 500 government officials, corporate executives, technology innovators, experts and scholars from all over the world on the major challenges the world is currently facing, and explored the solutions to the current global issues of global significance. In the years before the epidemic, Dr Kissinger attended the China Development Forum on several occasions, and members of the CEDPR expert panel heard Dr Kissinger's thought-provoking advice and visionary suggestions at close range.