Former Secretary of State Kissinger warned that the escalation of the US-China war could turn into armed conflict worse than World War I.

"If the conflict is unchecked, the outcome could be worse than what happened in Europe. World War I broke out because of a relatively small crisis, and today's weapons are much stronger." , former US Secretary of State Henry Kissinger spoke at the Bloomberg New Economic Forum in Beijing, China today, referring to the ongoing trade war between the US and China.

Kissinger, 96, US Secretary of State under President Nixon, once went to Beijing to negotiate trade with China in 1971.

"In my opinion, that's why we need to make clear efforts to understand the political causes behind a period of tension and commitment by both sides to overcome them. It's not too late. to do that, because we just entered a Cold War, "the former US Secretary of State said.

According to Kissinger, trade talks are only a small start to the political process he hopes will take place between the US and China. He also expressed expectations that current trade negotiations between the world's two largest economies will be successful.

Speaking to Kissinger a few hours at the forum, Chinese Vice President Wang Qishan urged the US - China to build a better relationship. "Between war and peace, the Chinese people insist on choosing peace. Humanity cherishes peace. We should give up the one-to-one thinking and the Cold War mentality," Wang said.

The U.S.-China trade war erupted nearly 18 months ago, when U.S. President Donald Trump imposed tariffs on hundreds of billions of dollars of Chinese imports on charges that Beijing violated its pledge to open markets and trade unjustly. and steal American technology. China also imposed tariffs in response, pushing the two sides into an escalating "tit for tat" tariff war.

U.S. and Chinese officials announced earlier this month that the two sides were ready to sign a first-stage trade agreement, in which Washington agreed to gradually lift tariffs, while Beijing increased purchases of American agricultural products.

However, Trump said on 20 November that China still did not have the necessary goodwill attitude in trade negotiations and "not yet reached the level" he wanted, raising concerns about the prospect of negotiations between two countries. China's Ministry of Commerce today announced an effort to cooperate with the United States to reach a first-stage trade agreement that would benefit both sides.