Rivals unite in tribute to ‘old friend’ Henry Kissinger

China and Japan on Thursday put set aside their differences to pay tribute to former US secretary of state.

Xi Jinping and Henry Kissinger meet in Beijing this year. Picture: Reuters

China and Japan on Thursday put set aside their differences to pay tribute to former US secretary of state Henry Kissinger.

Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida hailed the “significant contributions” to peace and stability in Asia made by Dr Kissinger, who died at his home in Connecticut overnight on Wednesday, local time, aged 100.

Chinese ambassador to the US Xie Feng hailed him as an “old friend”, paying tribute to a diplomat central to establishing ties between Beijing and Washington.

Former president George W. Bush said the US had lost one of its “most dependable and distinctive voices on foreign affairs with the passing of Henry Kissinger”.

His rise as a German refugee to the pinnacle of US foreign policy decision-making says “as much about his greatness as it did America’s greatness”, Mr Bush said.

Another former US secretary of state, Mike Pompeo, said Dr Kissinger left an indelible mark on American and world history.

“I will always be grateful for his gracious advice and help during my own time as secretary,” Mr Pompeo tweeted on X. “Always supportive and always informed, his wisdom made me better and more prepared after every one of our conversations.”

Mr Kishida said Dr Kissinger “made significant contributions to the regional peace and stability”.

“I’d like to express my most sincere respect to the great achievements he made. I also would like to offer my condolences.”

Dr Kissinger in the 1970s had referred to the Japanese as “treacherous sons of bitches” for wanting normal relations with China when he was national security adviser to president Richard Nixon, according to documents declassified in 2006.

In China, he was granted the sobriquet of “old friend of the Chinese people” for his part in establishing ties and helping bring the country out of its Mao-era isolation. And as US-China ties have plummeted in recent years, the elder statesman – who visited the country more than 100 times – came to be seen by many as emblematic of a more genteel, friendly time in Washington-Beijing relations.

“It is a tremendous loss for both our countries and the world,” Mr Xie posted on X.

“History will remember what the centenarian had contributed to China-US relations, and he will always remain alive in the hearts of the Chinese people as a most valued old friend.”

Dr Kissinger last visited China as recently as July, when he held talks with President Xi Jinping.

In a lengthy obituary on Thursday, Beijing’s state broadcaster CCTV hailed his “historic contribution to the opening of the door to US-China relations”.

As national security adviser to Nixon, Kissinger secretly flew to Beijing in 1971 on a mission to establish relations with communist China. Since leaving office, the Nobel Peace Prize Laureate grew wealthy advising businesses on China – and had warned against a hawkish turn in US policy.

During a meeting with the late secretary of state in Beijing this year, top diplomat Wang Yi said that “US policy toward China needs Kissinger-style diplomatic wisdom”. And President Xi Jinping told him the Chinese people would “never forget our old friend and your historic contribution to promoting the development of China-US relations”.

Online, where the late diplomat’s death was in the top trending topics on both social media platform Weibo and the Google-like Baidu, users said Dr Kissinger had been “still doing his best for difficult US-China relations” in the years leading up to his death.

“He was a very good rival and partner,” one user wrote, adding “his passing is an incalculable loss to both China and the United States”. Another said his death represented a “watershed moment” at a time of China’s ascension as a world power. “From now on, it’s the beginning of our rise and for the US to go down.”

AFP