World reacts to Kissinger death

WASHINGTON, United States — Henry Kissinger, the instantly recognizable US diplomat whose unapologetic promotion of raw American power helped shape the post-World War II world, died Wednesday, his consulting firm said. He was 100.

Here is a round-up of reactions from governments and world leaders.

Current Secretary of State Antony Blinken hailed Kissinger for his strategic vision as the top US diplomat under president Richard Nixon and his successor Gerald Ford.

"To serve as America's chief diplomat today is to move through a world that bears Henry's lasting imprint -- from the relationships he forged, to the tools he pioneered, to the architecture he built," Blinken said.

At the Pentagon, Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin highlighted Kissinger's army service in World War II, when he deployed to Germany, the country of his birth.

"Dr Kissinger led an extraordinary American life," Austin said.

President Joe Biden has yet to comment directly.

Beijing's foreign ministry praised the late diplomat for his "historic contributions" to Sino-American ties, describing him as an "old and good friend of the Chinese people."

Kissinger, who met in July with President Xi Jinping in Beijing, "had long been concerned about and supported the development of China-US relations, visiting China more than 100 times and making historic contributions to promote the normalization of China-US relations," foreign ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin said.

Russian President Vladimir Putin praised Kissinger for his contribution to US-Soviet relations and described him as a "wise and visionary statesman."

"Henry Kissinger's name is inextricably linked with his pragmatic foreign policy, which in its time paved the way for a detente in international tensions and made it possible to reach the most important Soviet-American agreements that contributed to strengthening global security," Putin said in a Kremlin statement.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres was "saddened" to learn of Kissinger's passing, according to spokesman Stephane Dujarric.

"As a prominent figure in international relations during the late 20th century, few diplomats in living memory have had a greater influence on international