Former U.S. Secretary of State Henry Kissinger died on Wednesday at home in Connecticut at the age of 100, Kissinger Associates, Inc said in a statement.
As Secretary of State under presidents Nixon and Ford, Dr. Kissinger “played central roles in the opening to China, negotiating the end of the Yom Kippur War in the Middle East, and helping to bring America’s role in the Vietnam War to a close,” said the statement.
Dr. Kissinger has written 21 books on national security matters, it said. “Considered one of America’s great statesmen, Dr. Kissinger was regularly consulted by American presidents of both political parties and scores of foreign leaders after he finished government service in 1977.”
Fifty-two years ago when China and the United States were at a crucial inflection point, Chairman Mao Zedong, Premier Zhou Enlai, President Richard Nixon and Dr. Kissinger, made the right decision for China-U.S. cooperation and launched the process of normalizing the China-U.S. relationship.
Kissinger visited China more than 100 times, the most recent one being in late July this year, about two months after he celebrated his 100th birthday, during which Chinese President Xi Jinping met him in Beijing.
On Oct. 24, Kissinger was honored at the annual Gala Dinner of The National Committee on U.S.-China Relations (NCUSCR) in New York City.
All guests gave the distinguished centenarian a standing ovation when Kissinger was wheelchaired onto the stage. And most of them kept standing up until he finished his over 10-minute speech.
“A peaceful relationship, a cooperative relationship between the U.S. and China is essential for peace and progress of the world,” said Kissinger at the event.
“I’m confident all of you here agree that peace and progress between China and the U.S. is in the self-interest of each country and of the world,” he said.
“I’ve spent literally half of my life working on the U.S.-China relations…I like the Chinese people, I’m impressed by Chinese culture,” he said.
