Kissinger Leads Improvement of US-China Relations During Cold War
"Musk Has Many Friendly Points with China"
With Donald Trump's election as President of the United States confirmed, expectations are growing that his close associate Elon Musk, CEO of Tesla, could play the role of a 'modern-day Kissinger' to help restore US-China relations, CNBC reported on the 11th (local time).
According to the report, Scott Kennedy, senior fellow for China Business and Economics at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), said, "In recent months, there has been widespread anticipation in China that Musk could become a second Kissinger mediating exchanges between Washington and Beijing. Whether this is a brilliant insight that could help prevent the collapse of bilateral relations or just an unrealistic scenario that the Chinese want to take comfort in is currently unknown."
Former US Secretary of State Henry Kissinger is regarded as a 'diplomatic giant' who was active during the Richard Nixon and Gerald Ford administrations. He visited China more than 100 times, facilitating summit meetings between the two countries' leaders, and is credited as a key figure in improving US-China relations during the Cold War era when tensions were high. He also contributed to world peace by achieving d?tente through negotiations on the Strategic Arms Limitation Talks (SALT I) with the former Soviet Union, for which he was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. He passed away last November at the age of 100.
CNBC noted, "Expectations that Musk could fill the void left by Kissinger have arisen as he has had more frequent contact with senior Chinese officials." Although Trump, who has threatened bomb tariffs on Chinese imports, is filling the next administration's diplomatic and security teams with hardline politicians toward China, Musk is seen as maintaining a friendly connection with China.
Earlier, Musk made a surprise visit to China in April, meeting with Premier Li Chang, and earlier this year, he criticized the Biden administration's decision to raise tariffs on Chinese electric vehicles to 100%, expressing concerns about escalating US-China tensions. Additionally, Tesla's Shanghai Gigafactory, which recently surpassed cumulative production of 3 million units, is the first foreign automobile company in China wholly owned 100% by the company.
Wang Yiwei, director of the Institute of International Relations at Renmin University of China, said, "Musk is regarded as a businessman who understands both China and the United States," and believes Musk could help cancel or ease the bomb tariffs on China announced by President-elect Trump.
However, there are also skeptical views. Wang Huiyao, founder of the Beijing-based think tank Center for China and Globalization (CCG), said, "Even the world's wealthiest businessmen find it difficult to have a substantial impact on US policies aimed at improving bilateral relations as Kissinger did," emphasizing, "It is possible for prominent business leaders like Musk, Apple CEO Tim Cook, and Blackstone CEO Stephen Schwarzman to join forces and act as a 'Kissinger Group'." Cook and Schwarzman regularly visit China and are cited as positive examples of US-China trade and business relations.
Edward McNeill, managing director at Longview Global, said, "It is true that China has occasionally used influential Americans as unofficial diplomatic channels, but viewing Musk as a modern-day Kissinger is an overstatement," adding, "While Musk may open new horizons, relying on him for diplomatic hopes could be a misjudgment given his focus on shareholder interests and his own business."
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