China Mourns Kissinger: Xi Jinping Expresses His Condolences Directly to the Family

Following the death of former U.S. Secretary of State Henry Kissinger, waves of grief have swept across China.

According to China’s state-run CCTV, Chinese President Xi Jinping sent a condolence message to President Joe Biden on the 30th, mourning the death of former Secretary Kissinger. Chinese media also highlighted Kissinger’s significant contributions to improving U.S.-China relations. They mourn the loss of the “old friend of the Chinese people.”

Wang Wenbin, spokesperson for the Chinese Foreign Ministry, mentioned in a regular briefing that day that President Xi Jinping expressed deep condolences to President Joe Biden and sent a condolence message to the family of former Secretary Kissinger. Additionally, he noted, “Wang Yi also separately contacted U.S. Secretary of State Tony Blinken to express his condolences.”

He added that Former Secretary Kissinger was an old friend of the Chinese people, a pioneer and builder of China-U.S. relations. Also, he has been interested in and supportive of the development of China-U.S. relations for a long time. The spokesperson mentioned that Kissinger visited China more than 100 times, contributing significantly to normalizing relations between the two countries. He emphasized that both countries should learn from Dr. Kissinger’s strategic vision, political courage, and diplomatic wisdom.

Chinese media outlets extensively covered Kissinger’s life and diplomatic achievements. Xinhua News Agency reported in detail the process from the ping-pong diplomacy plan to President Nixon’s official visit to China and separately sent out an article on his life from his birth in Germany to his move to the United States.

CCTV also highlighted his life through a 1-minute 57-second video, stating that Kissinger is a “living fossil” showing the development of China-U.S. relations. The video noted, “In his 100-year life, ‘China’ is undoubtedly the most frequently appearing major keyword. His secret visit to China in 1971 made a strong mark in his diplomatic life.”