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Laura Zhou

Talks between former US secretary of state Henry Kissinger and President Xi Jinping could give Beijing more clues about the direction of ties with Washington as US president-elect Donald Trump prepares to take office, ­experts say.
Xi met Kissinger in the Great Hall of the People on Friday and called the visit timely.
“The presidential election has taken place in the United States and we are now in the key moment. We, on the Chinese side, are watching the situation very closely. Now it is in the transition period,” Xi told Kissinger in front of a group of reporters.
“Overall, we hope to see the China-US relationship moving ahead in a sustained and stable manner.”
Kissinger, who helped prepare the ground for former US leader Richard Nixon’s historic visit to China in 1972, told Xi he appreciated the meeting.
As Trump retreats, Xi Jinping moves to upgrade China’s global power play
The visit came two weeks after Kissinger met Trump in New York, where relations with China were a focus of the conversation, according to an statement from the Trump team.
In an interview with CNN’s Fareed Zakaria, 93-year-old ­Kissinger said Trump should not be held to all of his campaign promises.
“One should not insist on nailing him into positions that he had taken in the campaign, of which he doesn’t insist,” Kissinger said in the interview. “If he insists on them, then of course ... disagreements will become expressed.”
Kissinger described Trump, whom he also met in May, as the “most unique” president-elect in his lifetime, who had “no obligation to any particular group because he has become president on the basis of his own strategy”.
WHAT DOES A TRUMP PRESIDENCY MEAN FOR CHINA?
During his election campaign, Trump pledged to slap China with a 45 per cent import tariff and declare the country a currency manipulator.
His comments have injected uncertainty into ties between the world’s two biggest economies and left diplomats wondering how the real estate ­tycoon, who often seems driven by impulse, will handle relations with Beijing.
Neither Washington nor Beijing have revealed the reason behind Kissinger’s visit, but diplomatic observers in China said he was expected to give leaders a clearer picture of who Trump was and try to ease concerns over possible instability during the leadership transition.
“People are worried, especially given his comments during the campaign, about how Trump, who has no experience in public service, will handle Sino-US relations. Will he manage ties simply based on his own thinking?” said Professor Zhang Zhizhou, from the School of International Relations and Diplomacy at Beijing Foreign Studies University.

“In such a context, Kissinger, based on his understanding of Trump, would deliver a message that cooperation with China remains a dominant theme in Trump’s presidency,” Zhang said.
“Kissinger played a key role in shaping Sino-US ties ... He also agrees that a cooperative and stable relationship between China and the US is a win-win.”
Su Hao, a professor at China Foreign Affairs University in Beijing, said Kissinger had broad connections with the Chinese leadership, which Trump would use to “exchange opinions” with Beijing before he took office.
Professor Chu Shulong, director of the Institute of International Strategic and Development Studies at Tsinghua University, said: “On the other hand, Kissinger would also help convey Beijing’s concern to Trump or people around him, if necessary, when he’s back in New York.”
On Thursday, Kissinger met Wang Qishan, a Xi ally who oversees the anti-graft campaign and ranks sixth in the Communist Party hierarchy.


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US-China relations

China is watching US leadership transition closely, Xi tells Kissinger in Beijing

Former US secretary of state Henry Kissinger meets China's President Xi Jinping at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing on Friday. Photo: AFP

(161201) -- BEIJING, Dec. 1, 2016 (Xinhua) -- Wang Qishan (L), a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee, meets with former U.S. Secretary of State Henry Kissinger at the Diaoyutai State Guesthouse in Beijing, capital of China, Dec. 1, 2016.(Xinhua/Yao Dawei) (zyd)

As Trump retreats, Xi Jinping moves to upgrade China’s global power play

Beijing planning One Belt, One Road summit in China that could dwarf G20

***NOT FOR ADVERTISING USE*** Chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress Zhang Dejiang given speech at the Belt and Road Summit in Wan Chai. 18MAY16 SCMP/ Sam Tsang

(FILES) This file photo taken on October 22, 2016 shows President-elect Donald Trump during a campaign event at the Eisenhower Hotel in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. US President-elect Trump on November 28, 2016 threatened to put an end to the thaw in ties with Cuba unless Havana makes concessions on human rights and opening up its economy. "If Cuba is unwilling to make a better deal for the Cuban people, the Cuban/American people and the US as a whole, I will terminate deal," Trump said on Twitter. / AFP PHOTO / Mandel Ngan

(160920) -- DUNHUANG, Sept. 20, 2016 (Xinhua) -- A guest takes photos at an exhibition during the 1st Silk Road (Dunhuang) International Cultural Expo in Dunhuang, northwest China's Gansu Province, Sept. 20, 2016. The exhibition presented some 8,000 exhibits on the cultural achievements of more than 60 countries along the Belt and Road. (Xinhua/Chen Bin) (wx)

(161120) -- KATHMANDU, Nov. 20, 2016 (Xinhua) -- Delegates from Nepal and China sign a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) during the One Belt One Road Initiative International Trade Platform in Kathmandu, Nepal, Nov. 19, 2016. The Nepal Chapter of the Belt and Road International Trade and Investment Platform, a mutual exchange platform of global purchasers and suppliers, was launched here on Saturday. (Xinhua/Pratap Thapa)(yk)

epa05161915 The first Chinese cargo train, to be used following Iran-China joint efforts to revive the Silk Road, arrives in Tehran, Iran, 15 February 2016. Reports said the 32-containers train, each with a capacity of 40 square feet, arrived in Tehran after a 14-day journey from northwestern China. Chinese President Xi Jinping introduced the ‘Silk Road Economic Belt’ in 2013 to improve the infrastructure linking China to Europe through Central Asia. EPA/STRINGER

SHUTTERSTOCK 297529787. DUNGHUAN, CHINA JUNE 29: Camel train at the famous singing sand dunes of the Gobi desert on June 29, 2012 in Dunhuang. The sand dunes in Dunhuang on the Silk road are a major tourist attraction. Image ID:297529787 Copyright: Rolf_52 Editorial Credit: Rolf_52 / Shutterstock.com

President Xi Jinping and his wife Peng Liyuan at the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation Summit in Nusa Dua, Bali, in October 2013. Photo: AFP

News

China

Diplomacy

The visit by the veteran envoy – seen as a Trump proxy – aimed at easing concerns over shift at White House, analysts say


Henry Kissinger

.css-sioo19{color:#c79a00;}Analysis | China is watching US leadership transition closely, Xi tells Kissinger in Beijing

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}The visit by the veteran envoy – seen as a Trump proxy – aimed at easing concerns over shift at White House, analysts say

Analysis | China is watching US leadership transition closely, Xi tells Kissinger in Beijing

The visit by the veteran envoy – seen as a Trump proxy – aimed at easing concerns over shift at White House, analysts say