How Kissinger’s Secret Visit to Beijing Set Stage for U.S.-China Rapprochment

Henry Kissinger, late former U.S. Secretary of State and a prominent American foreign policy figure who played a pivotal role in normalizing U.S.-China relations half a century ago, passed away this week at the age of 100.

In 1971, Kissinger, as the White House National Security Advisor under U.S. President Richard Nixon, visited China twice, the first time in secret and the second time publicly. The trips paved the way for Nixon’s historic visit to China the following year as well as the establishment of formal diplomatic relations between the U.S. and the People’s Republic of China (PRC) in 1979.