Editor's note: Hamzah Rifaat Hussain, a former visiting fellow at the Stimson Center in Washington and former assistant researcher at the Islamabad Policy Research Institute, is a TV anchor at Indus News in Pakistan. The article reflects the author's opinions and not necessarily those of CGTN.

Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi's exchange with former U.S. Secretary of State Henry Kissinger in New York on September 20 provides some important takeaways for advocates of peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait. As mentioned, the pressing task for the United States is to manage the Taiwan question with sensibility to prevent it from having a disruptive influence on the China-U.S. bilateral relationship. 

Henry Kissinger's insights also provide a wakeup call for Washington, D.C. in 2022 to eschew aggression and stick to historical precedents of diplomatic relations. Undermining state sovereignty with provocative statements and actions on Taiwan are undiplomatic moves that are not grounded in historical sensibility.

Kissinger has long been a friend of China and made historical contributions to the development of bilateral relations. While responding to Wang Yi's comments of the United States needing to adopt a rational and practical approach and uphold understandings reached under the three China-U.S. joint communiques, he said that the U.S. should recognize the extreme importance of the Taiwan question to China and recalled the 1972 Shanghai Communique as an important reference point. 

The communique issued on the last evening of former U.S. President Richard Nixon's visit to China pledged that the United States will not challenge the fact that Taiwan is an integral part of China, while reaffirming that a peaceful settlement to the Taiwan question will be conducted by the Chinese people in both the mainland and in the island. Fast forward to 2022 however, the Joe Biden administration's rhetoric is grossly dissimilar.

In an interview on CBS's "60 minutes" the U.S. president said that the American military would defend Taiwan in the event of a "Chinese invasion" which is completely disconnected from reality and the official White House policy. In truth, it is evidence of a systematic attempt by Washington D.C. to undermine the one-China principle that numerous predecessors have sought to uphold. 

According to the Director of the Institute of International Affairs, Wang Yiwei, the Biden administration has been deliberately amplifying the flawed "democracy vs authoritarian" narrative with an eye on strangulating China's economy. This equates to pursuing Cold War mentalities and hegemonic designs which are detrimental to China-U.S. relations. 

Such hegemonic behavior has been called out by seasoned and veteran diplomats such as Kissinger who claim that only dialogue and not confrontation is the key to peaceful coexistence between the two sides. That is precisely what China desires as well as Foreign Minister Wang Yi recalled 50 years of joint experiences between the two sides which include basic principles of mutual respect and harmony that needs to be upheld. 

Yet unlike the statesmanship demonstrated during the Nixon years, the Biden administration continues to promote an incorrect perception about China while amplifying the China threat despite repeated assurances by Chinese President Xi Jinping on promoting the three principles of mutual respect, peaceful cooperation and win-win cooperation between the United States and China.

The truth is that historical sensibility and strategic foresight are missing from the United States in 2022. On the other hand, China's policy towards Washington, D.C. is consistent as it seeks deeper economic and trade cooperation in the absence of hostilities, suspicions and acrimony. 

Willingness to engage with the United States multilaterally and carrying forward the historical foundation of diplomatic relations are also in Beijing's interests as stated clearly by Wang Yi. The correct trajectory of bilateral ties depends on the Biden administration changing course on subjects such as Taiwan and upholding historical precedents for a brighter future.

As Kissinger clearly points out, historical sensibility must prevail.

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