Dr. Henry Kissinger, former US secretary of state, revisited his friendship with China at Peking University during a conversation with PKU students on November 8.

Dr. Kissinger paid the visit to PKU following his meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping on the same day, according to Xinhua News Agency.

Kissinger and China-US Relations

Dr. Kissinger paid the visit to PKU following his meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping on the same day, according to Xinhua News Agency.

During the event, the 95-year-old held an hour-long dialogue with 20 students from PKU’s School of International Studies, sharing his perspective on topics such as the bilateral relationship between China and the US, geopolitics, policy-making, and his past experience and advice to the young generation.

Being asked about the status quo and the future of Sino-US ties, the words Dr. Kissinger mentioned the most are dialogue and cooperation. If China and the US cooperate, we could expect peace and progress in the world; if not, it’ll be chaos, as per Dr. Kissinger, who’s widely seen as the trailblazer for the Sino-US relation.

In July of 1971, Dr. Kissinger, as the national security advisor to the then US president Richard Nixon, paid a secret trip to China, which broke the ice and paved the way for Nixon’s first-ever visit to Beijing one year later as well as the formal establishment of the Sino-US diplomatic relationship in 1979.

Kissinger and Peking University

Not only is Dr. Kissinger an “old friend of Chinese people,” as President Xi said during their meeting, he also shares a special bond with Peking University, especially over the past two decades.

President Hao's Gratitude to Dr. Kissinger

Concluding the event, Peking University President Hao Ping expressed his gratitude to Dr. Kissinger for this special visit to PKU. By stressing that PKU has long been devoted to the study and research of Sino-US relations, President Hao hailed Dr. Kissinger’s contributions and pledged that PKU will carry on its endeavor in this field in the future. We look forward to Dr. Kissinger’s future support of PKU’s development and attention to the growth of the students, said President Hao.

ther Prominent Attendees

Vice President of PKU Tian Gang

Dean of PKU’s Institute of International and Strategic Studies Wang Jisi

Dean of the Yenching Academy Yuan Ming

Dean of the School of International Studies Jia Qingguo

Vice Dean of the School of International Studies Tang Shiqi

Reported by: Amanda

Editor: LI Fangqi

Photo credit to: Wang Wenquan, Liu Yueling, Wang Xiaopeng