Is Henry Kissinger lobbying for Rio Tinto in China?

The Sydney Morning Herald reports that in an effort to secure the release of four of its executives who were convicted on corruption charges in China last week, mining giant Rio Tinto has secured the services of a guy who knows a thing or two about making deals with Beijing:   Dr Kissinger, 87, is ...

By , a former associate editor at Foreign Policy.
AFP/Getty Images
AFP/Getty Images
AFP/Getty Images

The Sydney Morning Herald reports that in an effort to secure the release of four of its executives who were convicted on corruption charges in China last week, mining giant Rio Tinto has secured the services of a guy who knows a thing or two about making deals with Beijing:  

The Sydney Morning Herald reports that in an effort to secure the release of four of its executives who were convicted on corruption charges in China last week, mining giant Rio Tinto has secured the services of a guy who knows a thing or two about making deals with Beijing:  

Dr Kissinger, 87, is well known in China since his secret 1971 meeting with Premier Zhou Enlai paved the path for the US president Richard Nixon’s historic meeting with Mao Zedong.

The Herald understands Dr Kissinger helped secure a meeting on Rio’s behalf with Wang Qishan, a Politburo member and former banker who handles many of China’s international financial affairs.

As FT Alphaville notes, Kissinger’s consulting firm advises corporate clients on government relations and is very active in China. 

Hat tip: China Digital Times

Joshua Keating is a former associate editor at Foreign Policy. Twitter: @joshuakeating

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