White House: We look forward to Kissinger telling us about his trip to China

(Patria) - The White House expressed regret that Henry Kissinger managed to get more audience in Beijing than some US officials, after the former top diplomat held talks in China.

Kissinger, the architect of the normalization of relations between Washington and Beijing in the 1970s as Secretary of State and National Security Advisor in the administrations of Presidents Richard Nixon and Gerald Ford, was warmly welcomed by Chinese President Xi Jinping on Thursday as an "old friend," amid efforts by Beijing and Washington to mend strained relations.

The White House said it was aware of the trip, but that it was a private visit by a citizen.

As part of these meetings, the 100-year-old Kissinger also met with top Chinese diplomat Wang Yi and Defense Minister Li Shangfu, who has refused direct talks with US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, Reuters reports.

General Li, appointed in March, remains under US sanctions for his role in the 2017 purchase of weapons from Russia's largest arms exporter, Rosoboronexport. Chinese officials have repeatedly said they want the sanctions, imposed in 2018, to be lifted to facilitate discussions.

"It is regrettable that a private citizen can meet with the defense minister and communicate, and the United States cannot," said White House National Security Council spokesman John Kirby.

"That is something we want to resolve. That is why we continue to try to restore military communication lines, because when they are not open, and you have times like this when tensions are high, miscalculations, then the risk is great," he added.

Kirby said administration officials "look forward to hearing from Secretary Kissinger when he returns, to hear what he heard, what he learned, what he saw."