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BEIJING. — Chinese President Xi Jinping met with former US Secretary of State Henry Kissinger in Beijing Thursday. Calling Kissinger an old friend of Chinese people, President Xi hailed the “historic contribution” he has made to China-US relations.

“We will not forget that,” President Xi told Kissinger.

President Xi made the remark in a meeting with Kissinger, also telling the former US secretary of state that China wants to resolve problems with the US through dialogue – but that Washington must respect its development path and interests.
President Xi also said Beijing and Washington should “accurately assess” each other’s strategic intentions as trade tensions rise – his latest message ahead of a face-to-face meeting with US President Donald Trump later this month.

The discussion between President Xi and Kissinger in Beijing was the latest bid to reduce friction between the two nations, months after they began a tit-for-tat trade war and amid confrontation over the South China Sea and Taiwan.

“For some time, there have been negative voices within the US against China, which is worthy of attention,” President Xi told the 95-year-old foreign policy guru at the Great Hall of the People.

“China is committed to working with the US to achieve a non-confrontational, without conflict, and mutually respectful cooperation in which both sides win.”

Kissinger, who was visiting Beijing after the Bloomberg New Economy Forum in Singapore earlier this week, told President Xi that China and the US should apply strategic thinking and perspective to better understand each other, expand mutual interests and manage their differences, according to state news agency Xinhua.

In a separate meeting, Foreign Minister Wang Yi told Kissinger that the trade confrontation could be resolved through dialogue, while Kissinger said China should not be seen as a US rival, the Chinese foreign ministry said in a statement.

Despite twists and turns, Sino-US relations have generally maintained steady progress over the past four decades, President Xi said.

As the world today is undergoing unprecedented changes that have not been seen in the past 100 years, it is the international community’s expectation that China-US relations will continue to move forward in the right direction, the Chinese president said.

“I have agreed with President Trump to meet during the upcoming G20 summit in Argentina, where the two sides can have in-depth exchange of views on issues of common concern,” President Xi said. – Xinhua/ South China Morning Post