Henry Kissinger, the ambitious US diplomat known for his unwavering support of American power, passed away on Wednesday at the age of 100, according to his consulting firm.
Kissinger, who played a significant role in shaping the post-World War II world, was widely recognized as one of the most influential secretaries of state in recent history.
He died at his residence in Connecticut, and his consulting firm, Kissinger Associates, revealed that his family will hold a private funeral, followed by a memorial service in New York, where Kissinger spent his childhood after his Jewish family escaped Nazi Germany.
The reason of death was not specified in the announcement. Even as a centenarian, Kissinger traveled to China in July to see President Xi Jinping.
Kissinger’s legacy in China was one of his most lasting. Kissinger secretly reached out to Beijing in the hopes of shaking up the Cold War fight against the Soviet Union, culminating in a historic 1972 visit by President Richard Nixon and later the US establishment of relations with the isolated country, which has soared to become the world’s second-largest economy and a growing competitor with Washington.
While Kissinger was reviled around the world, China’s foreign ministry honored the late US envoy on Thursday as a “old and good friend of the Chinese people.”
Kissinger “had long been concerned about and supported the development of China-US relations, visiting China more than a hundred times and making historic contributions to promote the normalization of China-US relations,” foreign ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin said.
Fumio Kishida, prime minister of US ally Japan, credited Kissinger for his “significant contributions” to peace and stability in Asia, “including the normalization of diplomatic ties between the US and China.”
At home, Kissinger received respect from the political establishment, with rival Democratic Party Secretary of State Antony Blinken attending his 100th birthday party in New York.
“America has lost one of the most dependable and distinctive voices on foreign affairs with the passing of Henry Kissinger,” former president George W. Bush, a Republican, said in a statement.
Kissinger received the Nobel Peace Prize for his efforts to end the Vietnam War, despite the fact that the fighting did not cease immediately, and his North Vietnamese counterpart, Le Duc Tho, declined to accept the honor.
