BEIJING (AP) — Chinese state media are praising George H.W. Bush as a "statesman of vision," recalling the late president's role in helping end the Cold War and establishing policies toward China.
The China Daily newspaper said Monday that Bush in the 1980s realized China was different from the Soviet Union and recognized the potential for cooperation.
Bush was America's unofficial ambassador to China in 1974-75 as the two were moving toward establishing diplomatic relations amid tensions between Moscow and Beijing. Bush is also remembered for smoothing over a rough patch in relations while president following the bloody 1989 crackdown on pro-democracy protests centered on Beijing's Tiananmen Square.
On Saturday, President Xi Jinping offered his condolences at a meeting with President Donald Trump, saying Bush's passing left him "greatly saddened."
