World leaders pay tribute to George H.W. Bush

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Tributes poured in Saturday following news that former U.S. president George H.W. Bush had passed away at age 94, with past and present world leaders praising him as "a patriot" and "an inspiration," but also as a man who remained humble and gracious even while in higher office.

A friend of China

Chinese President Xi Jinping expressed his condolences to his U.S. counterpart Donald Trump as they met in Buenos Aires on the sidelines of the G20 summit. "I'm greatly saddened by the passing of the late president Bush, who had made significant contributions to Sino-U.S. friendship during his lifetime," Xi said.

Bush was a U.S. envoy to China in the 1970s before he became president, and made repeated return visits along with his wife Barbara and his family, describing the Chinese people as "old friends."

The U.S. flag flies at half-staff at the World War II Memorial in tribute to former U.S. president George H. W. Bush, in Washington, DC, December 1, 2018. /VCG Photo

Earlier on Saturday, Trump said that he and his wife Melania "join with a grieving Nation" in mourning the loss of a man who "through his essential authenticity, disarming wit, and unwavering commitment to faith, family and country… inspired generations of his fellow Americans to public service."

The president also praised his predecessor's "sound judgment, common sense, and unflappable leadership."

President George H.W. Bush led a long, successful and beautiful life. Whenever I was with him I saw his absolute joy for life and true pride in his family. His accomplishments were great from beginning to end. He was a truly wonderful man and will be missed by all!

- Donald Trump, Twitter

Grace and civility

Former president Barack Obama noted that "America has lost a patriot and humble servant" but added that "while our hearts are heavy today, they are also filled with gratitude" for Bush's long years of public service.

He highlighted the steps taken under Bush's presidency to help immigrants and people with disabilities, and his efforts to limit nuclear weapons. "It's a legacy of service that may never be matched, even though he'd want all of us to try," Obama said.

President-elect Barack Obama (2nd L) poses for a picture with president George W. Bush (C) and former presidents Bill Clinton (2nd R), Jimmy Carter (R) and George H. W. Bush in the Oval Office of the White House, January 7, 2009. /VCG Photo

Bush forged a close relationship with his successor Bill Clinton, even though the two were initially political rivals, and in an op-ed in The Washington Post on Saturday, Clinton paid tribute to "an honorable, gracious and decent man" who "had a natural humanity."

"His friendship has been one of the great gifts of my life… I cherished every opportunity I had to learn and laugh with him. I just loved him," Clinton wrote, recalling joint trips to raise money for hurricane and tsunami victims.

Given what politics looks like in America and around the world today, it's easy to sigh and say George H.W. Bush belonged to an era that is gone and never coming back — where our opponents are not our enemies, where we are open to different ideas and changing our minds, where facts matter and where our devotion to our children's future leads to honest compromise and shared progress. I know what he would say: 'Nonsense. It's your duty to get that America back.'

- Bill Clinton, Op-ed in The Washington Post

Former president Bill Clinton (left) reacts as former president George H.W. Bush jokes during a joint appearance at the CTIA Wireless 2007 convention in Orlando, Florida, March 29, 2007. /VCG Photo

For Jimmy Carter, the 39th and oldest living president of the U.S., "(Bush's) administration was marked by grace, civility and social conscience."

George W. Bush, who followed in his father's footsteps to become the 43rd president of the U.S., called him "a man of the highest character and the best dad a son or daughter could ask for."

Cold War legacy

Though a quiet figure, Bush's impact was felt far beyond the United States. He was one of the leaders who oversaw the fall of the Iron Curtain and the end of the Cold War, and with former Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev, he signed a key treaty in 1991 to reduce the two countries' nuclear arsenals.

"Many of my memories are linked to him," Gorbachev told Russia's Interfax news agency on Saturday.

"We happened to work together in years of great changes. It was a dramatic time demanding huge responsibility from everyone."

U.S. former president George H.W. Bush sits in the passenger seat as Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev drives a golf cart at Camp David, Maryland, June 2, 1990. VCG Photo

German Chancellor Angela Merkel, who grew up in East Germany, praised Bush's contributions after the Berlin Wall fell. "He was the father, or one of the fathers, of German reunification and we will never forget that," she said on the sidelines of the G20 summit.

Former British prime minister John Major, whose time in office coincided with the U.S. president, called him a "lifelong friend." "I feel privileged to have worked with him... he was, quite simply, one of the most deep down decent people I have ever known."

World leaders and tributes

Tributes also came from France, Canada, Australia and the European Union.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres recalled that Bush, a former UN ambassador, "supported the United Nations with dedication" and praised "his compassion, instinct for moderation and commitment to public service."

The Kuwait Towers are illuminated in the colors of the U.S. flag and a portrait of former US president George H.W. Bush in Kuwait City, December 1, 2018. /VCG Photo

In Kuwait City, Bush's picture was projected on the Kuwait Towers, alongside a U.S. flag. In 1990, the president launched a decisive military hit against Iraq following its invasion of Kuwait.

State funeral

Starting on Monday, George H.W. Bush will lie in state in the rotunda of the Capitol building in Washington, DC, where people can pay their respects.

The 41st president will be given a state funeral on Wednesday, which Trump has declared a national day of mourning. Government agencies will close for the occasion. The New York and Chicago stock exchanges have said they will hold a moment of silence.

The casket will later be flown back to Texas and Bush will be laid to rest on Thursday at the George H.W. Bush Presidential Library in College Station, alongside his wife Barbara, who died in April.

(Top picture: A makeshift memorial is pictured at the foot of a statue outside the George H.W. Bush Presidential Library and Museum in College Station, Texas, December 1, 2018. /VCG Photo)