Former U.S. Secretary of State Henry Alfred Kissinger struck an upbeat note on Tuesday when describing the current U.S.-China relationship.

Kissinger said the relationship was good and will continue to get better, as he inaugurated the Center on U.S.-China Relations at the Asia Society.

The 83-year-old veteran politician said the two countries cooperate in many areas and the bilateral ties were now good and cooperative, and he was optimistic about the future of the relationship.

The relationship is significant to both countries and it will continue to develop in a positive direction given the continuity of both countries' foreign policy, he said.

Kissinger also reviewed former U.S. President Richard Nixon's ice-breaking visit to China in 1972 and Chinese leader Deng Xiaoping's visit to the United States in 1979.

He expressed hope that the two countries will play an active role in exerting a positive influence in the international arena on issues of nuclear non-proliferation, energy and the environment.

The Center on U.S.-China Relations is funded by Asia Society trustee Arthur Rose, who said it was his intention that the center will study and promote the U.S.-China relationship on multiple levels and from many perspectives.

The new center will conduct original research, distribute timely information on critical issues, inform the American and international public on U.S.-China-related issues and comment on critical issues and current events. It will also engage key Chinese and American leaders in critical dialogue.

Asia Society, founded in 1956 by John D. Rockefeller 3rd, is a nonpartisan, nonprofit educational institution headquartered in New York, with nine regional offices in Hong Kong, Houston, Los Angeles, Manila, Melbourne, Mumbai, San Francisco, Shanghai and Washington D.C..

Source: Xinhua