Legislators and a senior official yesterday extolled the life achievements of former US diplomat Henry Kissinger, who died on Wednesday at the age of 100.
Kissinger passed away at his home in Connecticut, a statement issued by his geopolitical consulting firm, Kissinger Associates Inc said, which did not mention the circumstances of his death.
Known as one of the most prominent and controversial figures in US foreign affairs, Kissinger was a Harvard professor who served as a national security adviser and secretary of state under former US president Richard Nixon.
Photo: AFP
In those roles, Kissinger devised and pursued the detente policy that thawed US relations with the Soviet Union and China. He also negotiated the US’ exit from the Vietnam War, which earned him a Nobel Peace Prize in 1973.
At a news conference yesterday, Wang Liang-yu (王良玉), head of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ North American Affairs Department, said that Kissinger was a “towering figure in the history of American diplomacy.”
Wang said Taiwan’s office in Washington would formally convey the nation’s condolences to Kissinger’s family.
Photo: AFP / Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs
Meanwhile, lawmakers in Taiwan lauded the professional work of the late diplomat, who was known for his “realpolitik” approach — diplomacy based on power and practical considerations rather than ideology.
Democratic Progressive Party Legislator Lo Chih-cheng (羅致政), who is also an international relations academic, told reporters that Kissinger played an important and historic role in the positive development of US-China relations.
Kissinger was known for being extremely friendly toward China, and based on that perception, he was widely seen among Chinese as an “old friend of China,” Lo said.
Kissinger had a large following generally, but with his passing, his influence on US foreign policy is likely to fade over time, Lo added.
Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Legislator Chen I-hsin (陳以信), another diplomacy expert, expressed condolences on behalf of his party on Kissinger’s death.
However, Chen said that Kissinger’s significant work to achieve closer ties between the US and China also led to the US’ severance of formal relations with Taiwan.
Nonetheless, his dedication to pursuing world peace and his ideologies in that regard would continue to serve as an inspiration to Taiwan in its efforts to achieve peace amid the current Sino-US rivalry, Chen said.
On X, formerly known as Twitter, the KMT left a more tepid response to Kissinger’s legacy.
The party “notes the passing of former US Secretary of State Henry Kissinger, and we send our condolences to his family. We recognize Kissinger’s efforts to bring about peace and prosperity in the Indo Pacific throughout his career in and outside government,” it wrote.
Civil society groups yesterday protested outside the Legislative Yuan, decrying Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) efforts to pass three major bills that they said would seriously harm Taiwan’s democracy, and called to oust KMT caucus whip Fu Kun-chi (傅?萁). It was the second night of the three-day “Bluebird wintertime action” protests in Taipei, with organizers announcing that 8,000 people attended. Organized by Taiwan Citizen Front, the Economic Democracy Union (EDU) and a coalition of civil groups, about 6,000 people began a demonstration in front of KMT party headquarters in Taipei on Wednesday, organizers said. For the third day, the organizers asked people to assemble
POOR IMPLEMENTATION: Teachers welcomed the suspension, saying that the scheme disrupted school schedules, quality of learning and the milk market A policy to offer free milk to all school-age children nationwide is to be suspended next year due to multiple problems arising from implementation of the policy, the Executive Yuan announced yesterday. The policy was designed to increase the calcium intake of school-age children in Taiwan by drinking milk, as more than 80 percent drink less than 240ml per day. The recommended amount is 480ml. It was also implemented to help Taiwanese dairy farmers counter competition from fresh milk produced in New Zealand, which is to be imported to Taiwan tariff-free next year when the Agreement Between New Zealand and
A woman who allegedly spiked the food and drinks of an Australian man with rat poison, leaving him in intensive care, has been charged with attempted murder, the Taipei District Prosecutors’ Office said yesterday. The woman, identified by her surname Yang (楊), is accused of repeatedly poisoning Alex Shorey over the course of several months last year to prevent the Australian man from leaving Taiwan, prosecutors said in a statement. Shorey was evacuated back to Australia on May 3 last year after being admitted to intensive care in Taiwan. According to prosecutors, Yang put bromadiolone, a rodenticide that prevents blood from
A Japanese space rocket carrying a Taiwanese satellite blasted off yesterday, but was later seen spiraling downward in the distance as the company said the launch attempt had failed. It was the second attempt by the Japanese start-up Space One to become the country’s first private firm to put a satellite into orbit, after its first try in March ended in a mid-air explosion. This time, its solid-fuel Kairos rocket had been carrying five satellites, including one from the Taiwan Space Agency and others designed by Japanese students and corporate ventures. Spectators gathered near the company’s coastal Spaceport Kii launch pad in Japan’s
RSS