Henry Kissinger: China mourns 'a most valued old friend'

The death of contentious former US Secretary of State Henry Kissinger has drawn nostalgia and compliments in China at a time when relations between the two countries have nosedived.

"You are forever a friend of Chinese people, rest in peace," a top-liked comment on the country's social media platform Weibo reads.

Hours after news of the death broke, the related hashtag became the most searched trend in China, with millions of views.

"This is the end of an era," a top-liked comment says. "He witnessed decades of ups and downs. What would he think about current China-US relations?" another user asked.

Relations between Washington and Beijing have perhaps hit their lowest point since the two sides began talking officially in 1979 - a culmination of efforts kicked off by Mr Kissinger. While ties were "normalised" under President Jimmy Carter, it was his predecessor Richard Nixon who made that first historic trip to Beijing to meet Mao Zedong in 1972, putting an end to decades of hostility.