Xi meets with Kissinger, says China ready to bring ties with U.S. steadily forward

BEIJING, July 20 (Xinhua) -- Chinese President Xi Jinping met with former U.S. Secretary of State Henry Kissinger at the Diaoyutai State Guesthouse in Beijing on Thursday.

Kissinger has just celebrated his 100th birthday and has visited China more than 100 times, making his visit to China this time one of special significance, Xi noted.

Fifty-two years ago, at a crucial turning point in China-U.S. relations, Chairman Mao Zedong, Premier Zhou Enlai, President Richard Nixon and Kissinger, with remarkable strategic vision, made the right choice to seek cooperation between China and the United States, kicking off the process of normalization of bilateral relations, Xi said. "This has not only benefited the two countries, but also changed the world."

Noting that Chinese people cherish friendship and amity, Xi said: "We will never forget our old friends and your historic contribution to promoting the development of China-U.S. relations and enhancing the friendship between the Chinese and American people."

Xi stressed that the world is undergoing great shifts unseen in a century and the international situation is witnessing major changes, adding that China and the United States are once again standing at the crossroads of where to go, and the two sides need to make a choice again.

Looking into the future, China and the United States have every reason to complement each other's success and achieve common prosperity, and the key is to follow the principles of mutual respect, peaceful coexistence and win-win cooperation, Xi said.

"On this basis, China is ready to discuss with the United States the correct way for the two countries to get along and promote the steady development of bilateral ties. This will benefit the two sides and the whole world," said Xi, expressing the hope that Kissinger and other people of vision in the United States will continue to play a constructive role in bringing China-U.S. relations back on the right track.