Kissinger, Greenberg honored with lifetime achievement award for promoting China-US ties

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The National Committee on US-China Relations bestowed lifetime achievement awards to American diplomat Henry Kissinger and business executive Maurice Greenberg for helping bridge ties between China and the United States over many decades.

Former US Secretary of State Henry Kissinger/CFP Photo

The National Committee on US-China Relations was established in 1966, six years before President Richard Nixon’s historic visit to China. Its goal was to encourage a better understanding between the two countries at a time when there was very little dialogue, at least diplomatically.

All of that changed when then US Secretary of State Kissinger orchestrated a meeting between President Nixon and Chairman Mao Zedong in 1972, triggering a thawing of relations after a 25-year freeze.

Greenberg, former CEO of insurance giant American International Group, who was at the helm of AIG when it became one of the first foreign insurance companies given access to China, is advocating for a free trade agreement between the two nations.

Maurice Greenberg, former chief executive officer of American International Group Inc. (AIG) /CFP Photo

But with the victory of Donald Trump, there are now worries about the future of that relationship. Trump has vowed to label China as a currency manipulator on his first day in office. He has also said he will hit Chinese imports with 45 percent tariffs.

The awards have been handed at a time when many are analyzing the China-US relations in the Trump administration, especially after the president-elect’s controversial phone call with Taiwan leader, which prompted concerns on his commitment to the One-China policy, which has been the bedrock of China-US relations for decades.

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