Chinese President Xi Jinping held a meeting with former US Secretary of State, Henry Kissinger, as the United States seeks to foster warmer relations with China.

Henry Kissinger's unexpected visit to the Chinese capital coincides with a series of high-profile visits by top US officials.

Notably, Kissinger, who is 100 years old, played a pivotal role in assisting China in breaking free from diplomatic isolation during the 1970s.

While the US has emphasized that Kissinger's visit is in a private capacity, experts believe that his influential position in China makes him a potential backchannel for US-China negotiations.

Xi Jinping welcomed Kissinger to the Diaoyutai State Guesthouse, a more intimate venue than the usual Great Hall of the People where formal meetings with foreign diplomats take place.

The details of their meeting were not disclosed, but Kissinger was commended as a "legendary diplomat," and his past achievements in facilitating US-China reconciliation were acknowledged.

During his trip, Kissinger also met with top diplomat Wang Yi and defense minister Li Shangfu, who is currently under US sanctions.

Chinese statements about the meetings have adopted a conciliatory tone, emphasizing the importance of respect, cooperation, and "peaceful co-existence" between the two superpowers.

According to the read-outs, Kissinger referred to himself as a "friend of China" and stressed that neither the United States nor China can afford to treat each other as adversaries.

The extent of the US government's involvement in Kissinger's trip remains unclear. The State Department confirmed being aware of the visit, and Chinese officials also informed Secretary of State Antony Blinken when he visited Beijing in June.

Kissinger is the only US figure Xi Jinping has met in recent weeks, reflecting the deep respect the seasoned diplomat still commands in China. While Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen and US special envoy for climate John Kerry have visited Beijing, they did not have face-to-face meetings with China's president.

Despite being a controversial figure in other parts of Asia due to his role in the Vietnam War, Kissinger is highly esteemed in China for his instrumental role in helping the country emerge from diplomatic isolation.

In 1971, during a period when the US and China had no formal diplomatic relations, Kissinger made secret visits to Beijing to arrange a meeting between then-US President Nixon and Chinese leaders, including Mao Zedong. This historic encounter paved the way for the normalization of US-China diplomatic relations and China's engagement with the world.

Since then, Kissinger has been warmly received in China on more than 100 occasions, as stated in Thursday's read-out. Photo by David Shankbone, Wikimedia commons.