In a meeting held in Beijing, veteran US diplomat Henry Kissinger engaged with China’s defense minister.

According to a statement from the Chinese defense ministry on Tuesday, Li Shangfu expressed that “friendly communication” between China and the US had been “destroyed” due to the unwillingness of “some people in the United States” to meet China halfway. Kissinger, as per the readout, referred to himself as a “friend of China.”

The Chinese statement reported Kissinger’s remarks on the importance of avoiding treating each other as adversaries, emphasizing that neither the United States nor China can afford a scenario where they go to war as it would yield no meaningful outcomes for their respective peoples.

This surprise visit by the 100-year-old former US secretary of state coincides with John Kerry’s presence in Beijing as the US climate envoy, the Guardian has reported.

Kerry is engaging in discussions with Chinese officials to explore opportunities for cooperation in tackling the climate crisis.

Kerry joins a series of high-ranking US officials who have visited China this summer, following Secretary of State Antony Blinken’s long-awaited trip in June.

While the relationship between the two global powers has been deteriorating for months, there is cautious optimism on both sides that the resumption of official dialogues can lay the groundwork for improved bilateral ties.

Written by staff