China News Service, Beijing, December 12 (Xinhua) -- What did Kissinger leave behind when the legend came to an end?

——Interview with Wu Xinbo, Dean of the Institute of International Studies and Director of the Center for American Studies, Fudan University

Author: Wen Longjie, Wang Zonghan

On November 11, local time, former U.S. Secretary of State Henry Kissinger passed away at the age of 29. This old friend and good friend of the Chinese people, who visited China more than 100 times in his lifetime, was a pioneer and builder of Sino-US relations. Dr. Kissinger has spent half his life working tirelessly for the development of Sino-US relations. Looking back at the history of the development of Sino-US relations, Dr. Kissinger is the one who "broke the ice."

Wu Xinbo, dean of the Institute of International Studies and director of the Center for American Studies at Fudan University, has conducted in-depth contacts, dialogues and exchanges with Kissinger, an "American who studies China," as a "Chinese who studies the United States." What firsts did Kissinger create? Why the Nobel Peace Prize? In this regard, Wu Xinbo accepted an exclusive interview with China News Service's "East and West Question" to talk about Kissinger in his eyes.

The transcript of the interview is summarized below:

China News Service: You have had face-to-face contact, dialogue and exchanges with Kissinger, can you summarize your impression of him in a few key words?

Wu Xinbo: I have had several exchanges with Dr. Kissinger. In 1994, when I was a visiting scholar at George Washington University in the United States, I first met Dr. Kissinger, who came to a think tank seminar to talk about American foreign policy. One of the most memorable exchanges was Kissinger's visit to the Center for American Studies at Fudan University in July 2013, when I received him as the director of the Center for American Studies. We first had a small exchange in the lounge, and then he communicated with the Fudan teachers and students present for more than an hour.

In July 2013, Kissinger visited China. Photo by Zhang Yuan

In my opinion, the first key word to describe Kissinger is wisdom. His thinking is not limited to one or two questions, but starts from the overall situation, and he is thoughtful and unique in many issues. The second key word is to be concise. Although he has an in-depth analysis of the problem, he does not speak in a wordy manner, and always expresses his views in very concise words. The third key word is experience. Kissinger has dealt with China for many years, visited China more than 100 times in his lifetime, and has interacted with several generations of Chinese leaders, and few foreign dignitaries have been able to do so.

China News Service: Kissinger was the US Secretary of State in the 20s of the 70th century, and he had a great influence on US foreign policy, and was hailed as "the greatest Secretary of State in US history". What firsts did Kissinger create and what history did he create?

Wu Xinbo: Kissinger served as national security adviser to former U.S. President Richard Nixon from 1969 to 1974. At the age of 50, Kissinger became the U.S. Secretary of State, becoming the first secretary of state in U.S. history to be a non-American, and the first secretary of state to serve as assistant to national security affairs.

Proceeding from his academic and professional background, one of Kissinger's important contributions was to bring international relations into a period of détente. At that time, the Cold War had entered a white-hot stage, with fierce confrontation between the United States and the Soviet Union, and constant friction between the two camps. Kissinger was determined to promote a détente between the United States and the Soviet Union, which led to a period of détente in international relations.

Kissinger's second important contribution was to help President Nixon open the door to Sino-US relations. During Nixon's visit to China, Kissinger was responsible for negotiations with the Chinese side, which eventually led to the publication of the Joint Communiqué between the People's Republic of China and the United States of America (also known as the Shanghai Communiqué), which laid a new foundation for Sino-US relations and formulated a basic framework for US policy toward Taiwan.

Kissinger's third important contribution was to push for an end to the Vietnam War. At that time, while the United States was engaged in a fierce confrontation with the Soviet Union, it was also mired in the quagmire of the Vietnam War, and the domestic anti-war situation was surging. Kissinger, perceiving the historical trend towards peace, pushed for an end to the Vietnam War, for which he was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1973.

The above three events can be said to be three extremely important pages in the history of US foreign relations, and Kissinger has made outstanding contributions to writing these three pages of history.

After Kissinger's secret visit to China, he returned to the United States, and Nixon greeted him at the special plane. Picture of the Nixon Library in California, USA

China News Service: Kissinger is a well-known expert on international issues. Prior to his appointment as Assistant to the President for National Security Affairs and Secretary of State, Kissinger had a profound academic career. In your opinion, what is Kissinger's philosophy of diplomacy? How is this reflected in the diplomatic practice of China-US relations?

Wu Xinbo: Kissinger has repeatedly stressed that he upholds the principle of realism and is guided by this principle to pay attention to the macro dimensions of international issues, especially the stability and evolution of the international system and international order. At the same time, in dealing with international relations, he advocates pragmatic solutions such as dialogue, negotiation and consultation.

These pragmatic academic ideas stem from his personal experience. When Kissinger visited Fudan University in 2013, he told some of his experiences, such as being persecuted by the Nazis in Germany because of his Jewish identity in his early years, joining the army in the United States during World War II and being sent to the European battlefield, witnessing the end of World War II and the beginning of the Cold War... After experiencing so many conflicts and turmoil, Kissinger is very concerned about the stability of the international order and always pays attention to the changes in the international situation. As a researcher and practitioner in the field of international relations, he has his own value orientation.

Opening the door to Sino-US relations is an example of Kissinger's practice of his own diplomatic philosophy. Kissinger first designed a roadmap for Nixon to open the door to Sino-US relations, then put it into action and secretly visited China to lay the foundation for the first step in Sino-US relations, and finally issued the "Shanghai Communiqué" through negotiations. All these strategies and actions were based on the principle of realism, and after conducting an in-depth analysis of the international situation, Kissinger used dialogue and negotiation to bring about the "icebreaking" of Sino-US relations, showing his strategic vision, political courage, and diplomatic wisdom.

In February 2022, the 2th anniversary of the publication of the Shanghai Communiqué was held in Shanghai, and Kissinger delivered a speech via video. Photo by Yin Liqin

China News Service: Dr. Kissinger has published more than 20 books, which ones do you pay the most attention to?

Wu Xinbo: I was deeply impressed by Dr. Kissinger's books, such as "Grand Diplomacy" published in 1994, which has become a must-read for the study of international affairs and US diplomacy. In addition, I used to read his "The White House Years" a lot. In recent years, the two books I have read most often are "World Order" and "On China".

China News Service: On China was published by Kissinger at the age of 88. In the book, he tries to understand China from a historical perspective, including understanding the long history of economic and trade exchanges between China and the United States, how do you evaluate this book?

Wu Xinbo: To a large extent, this book is based on Kissinger's own experience in dealing with the Chinese leadership over the past several decades, and a lot of the information comes from Kissinger himself, such as the transcripts of his conversations with Chinese leaders, as well as some of his important views on China's foreign strategy and handling Sino-US relations, which is very valuable for research.

In his book "On China", Kissinger explains Chinese's thinking on issues such as war and peace, international order, and helps American readers understand Chinese's international outlook. An important point in the book is that the U.S.-China relationship is different from the U.S.-Soviet relationship in the past, and that "co-evolution" is the appropriate label for the U.S.-China relationship, that is, both sides must do their own domestic affairs well and create good conditions for handling bilateral relations. The two sides should cooperate, enhance consultations, and reduce conflicts in areas where possible, so as to benefit the development of US-China relations.

To this day, many of the ideas in this book remain insightful and an important work guiding the development of U.S.-China relations.

In 2007, Kissinger attended the "China Science and Humanities Forum" in Beijing and delivered speeches on major issues such as "China-US relations and their future that I have witnessed". Photo by Xu Xiyi

China News Service: Among ordinary Chinese people, Kissinger is a highly recognizable name when it comes to American politicians. In your opinion, why is he known as an "old friend of the Chinese people"?

Wu Xinbo: To some extent, when it comes to "old friends of the Chinese people," many people naturally think of Kissinger. The reason for this is, first of all, due to Kissinger's outstanding contributions to Sino-US relations. Second, Kissinger's long-term and sincere exchanges with the Chinese leadership spanned half a century, and he had contacts with leaders since the founding of New China. Third, since the Nixon era, many US presidents have consulted Kissinger on relations with China, and many of them have been adopted by the US government. At some important moments in the development of Sino-US relations, Kissinger has acted as an envoy between the two countries and made important contributions to the development of bilateral relations. Kissinger, who is no longer in politics, chose to share his views on Sino-US relations with more professionals and the public, and formed a huge influence. It is precisely for this reason that Kissinger's death has brought great losses and infinite regret to people who are truly concerned about the development of Sino-US relations. However, Kissinger's diplomatic philosophy and his outstanding contributions to the development of Sino-US relations will always be remembered. (ENDS)

Interviewee Profile:

Wu Xinbo is Dean of the Institute of International Studies of Fudan University, Director of the Center for American Studies of Fudan University, Key Research Base of Humanities and Social Sciences of the Ministry of Education, Vice President of the Fudan Institute of Development Studies, Distinguished Professor of Fudan University, Member of the Regional and Country Studies Discipline Evaluation Group of the Academic Degrees Committee of the State Council, Member of the Fourth Foreign Policy Advisory Committee of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Vice President of the China Asia and Pacific Society, Vice President of the China Society for American Studies, Vice President of the Shanghai Society of International Relations, President of the Shanghai American Society, and Director of the Shanghai Institute of American Studies. His research interests include China's foreign and security policy, U.S.-China relations, and political and security issues in the Asia-Pacific region.