BEIJING (Reuters) – China expressed its deepest condolences on Monday over the death of Jimmy Carter, saying the former U.S. president was the “driving force” in establishing diplomatic relations between the two countries more than 40 years ago.
Carter died at his home in Plains, Georgia on Sunday at the age of 100. During his tenure from 1977 to 1981, the US government established official relations with China, building on the groundwork laid by former President Richard Nixon and Secretary of State Henry Kissinger earlier in the 1970s.
“China expresses its deepest condolences on the death of former United States President Jimmy Carter,” said Mao Ning, a spokesman for China’s foreign ministry.
“Former President Carter was the driving force behind the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and the United States and made important contributions to the development of China-US relations and friendly exchanges and cooperation between the two countries,” Mao said at a regular press conference.
The Carter (NYSE: ) administration’s decision in 1979 to recognize Beijing’s position that there is only one China and that Taiwan is part of China, and to sever official ties with Taiwan, helped chart a new course for ties.
“His historic contribution to the normalization and development of China-US relations will always be remembered by the Chinese people,” Xie Feng, China’s ambassador to the United States, wrote in a post on X.
