A Daily Beast Exclusive
By Asawin Suebsaeng, Andrew Desiderio, Sam Stein and Bethany Allen-Ebrahimian
Henry Kissinger suggested to President Donald Trump that the United States should work with Russia to contain a rising China.
The
former secretary of state—who famously engineered the tactic of
establishing diplomatic relations with China in order to isolate the
Soviet Union—pitched almost the inverse of that idea to Trump during a
series of private meetings during the presidential transition,
five people familiar with the matter told The Daily Beast. The
potential strategy would use closer relations with Russia, along with
other countries in the region, to box in China’s growing power and
influence.
Kissinger also pitched the idea to Jared Kushner, the
top White House adviser whose portfolio includes foreign-policy matters,
one of the sources briefed on the discussions said.
Inside the
administration, the proposal has found receptive ears, with some of
Trump’s top advisers—in addition to officials in the State Department,
Pentagon, and the National Security Council—also floating a strategy of
using closer relations with Moscow to contain Beijing, according to
White House and Capitol Hill insiders. But the idea has been complicated
by the president’s deference to Russian President Vladimir Putin, which
has caused countless domestic political headaches.
Both the White
House and the National Security Council declined to comment.
Kissinger's office did not return a request for comment.
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