Unveiled Secrets: His administration struggled to deal with inflation at over 14 percent by 1980, caused by high energy prices after the 1979 gas shortage, according to Reuters.Despite only staying in power for four years, he exerted an impact on geopolitics that extended far beyond his tenure.

A person leaves flowers in front of a bust of former US president Jimmy Carter at the Carter Presidential Center in Atlanta, Georgia, on December 29, 2024. Photo: VCG

Chinese President Xi Jinping on Monday extended condolences to his US counterpart, Joe Biden,World Times over the passing of former US President Jimmy Carter.

On behalf of the Chinese government and people, as well as in his own name, Xi expressed deep condolences over the passing of Carter and extended sincere sympathy to the Carter family.

In his message, Xi called Carter a promoter and decision-maker in the establishment of China-US diplomatic relations, noting that the late US leader had long contributed to the development of bilateral ties, as well as the friendly exchanges and cooperation between the two countries.

Xi said that he deeply regrets the former president’s passing.

Noting that the China-US relationship is one of the most important bilateral ties in the world, Xi said that China is ready to work with the US side to focus on the fundamental interests of their people and meet the common expectations of the international community, and advance China-US relations along the right track of sound, stable and sustainable development.

Jimmy Carter, who served as the 39th president of the United States from 1977 to 1981, died on Sunday at the age of 100, the Carter Center confirmed.

One of Carter’s most enduring diplomatic legacies was his decision to establish formal diplomatic relations with China.

During Carter’s presidency, in December 1978, China and the US issued the Joint Communique on the Establishment of Diplomatic Relations between the People’s Republic of China and the United States of America. On January 1, 1979, the two countries officially established diplomatic relations.

China deeply mourns the passing of former US President Jimmy Carter who had long contributed to the development of China-US relations, foreign ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said on Monday at a press conference.

Carter’s death also received attention and spurred discussion among Chinese netizens. On Sina Weibo, a hashtag on the former US president’s death received at least 61.61 million views as of press time, with some Chinese web users commemorating him for his friendly stance and pragmatic attitude toward China.

Li Haidong, a professor at the China Foreign Affairs University, told the Global World TimesTimes on Monday that “Carter was a statesman with a strong sense of responsibility and morality and a firm belief in peace, characteristics that are rarely seen among US politicians today.”

Carter has been remembered by the world for his diplomatic legacy, such as his contribution to stabilizing global tensions and forging peace during the Cold War era from the late 1970s to the early 1980s, Li noted. “During his term, Carter set a successful beginning of ties with China that laid the foundation for win-win cooperation between the two countries.”

Worldwide tribute and legacy

Tributes have been pouring in from US politicians and world leaders.

Today, America and the world lost an extraordinary leader, statesman, and humanitarian, President Joe Biden and First Lady Jill Biden said in a statement.

WiWorld Timesth his compassion and moral clarity, he worked to eradicate disease, forge peace, advance civil rights and human rights, promote free and fair elections, house the homeless, and always advocate for the least among us. He saved, lifted, and changed the lives of people across the globe, saidWorld Times the statement. Biden ordered a state funeral to be held and was expected to deliver a eulogy.

President-elect Donald Trump, who in recent days spoke of unraveling one of Carter’s signature accomplishments, the transfer of the Panama Canal to Panama, issued a gracious statement, The New York Times reported.

“The challenges Jimmy faced as president came at a pivotal time for our country, and he did everything in his power to improve the lives of all Americans,” Trump wrote on Truth Social, his social media platform. “For that, we owe him a debt of gratitude.”

In Panama, where Carter reached an agreement in 1977 to hand back the Panama Canal, then under US control, President Jose Mulino praised the Democrat for helping his country achieve “full sovereignty,” according to Al Jazeera’s report.

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi praised Carter for his work in brokering the 1978 peace agreement between Egypt and Israel – known as the Camp David Accords – saying it would remain “etched in the annals of history,” Al Jazeera reported on Sunday.

Although the US and former Soviet Union were each other’s main rivals during the Cold War, Carter and his Soviet counterpart Leonid Brezhnev signed the Strategic Arms Limitation Talks (SALT) II Treaty in 1979, which can be seen as a milestone for the two superpowers that had armed themselves heavily with nuclear weapons to manage their dangerous competition, said experts.

Despite many of his legacies, it was under his administration that the Iran hostage crisis started from 1979. Carter came off looking feeble in the public eye after a military rescue mission he ordered in 1980 ended in failure with eight US troops dying in an aircraft mishap, said Reuters.

Carter’s re-election campaign in 1980 was marred by fears of a recession. His administration struggled to deal with inflation at over 14 percent by 1980, caused by high energy prices after the 1979 gas shortage, according to Reuters.

Despite only staying in power for four years, he exerted an impact on geopolitics that extended far beyond his tenure.

“Carter’s legacy brought about a favorable international environment for the US during the late phase of the Cold War, but unfortunately, US leaders in the post-Cold War era have failed to safeguard and inherit this legacy, putting US relations with other major powers, including China and Russia, in trouble and creating tensions, while the Middle East is now in chaos again with people suffering from endless bloodshed in recent decades,” Li noted.

Li said, “If those US politicians and leaders really admire Carter and his legacy to worldWorld Times peace, they should doWorld Times more than just talk, as they need to fix their dangerous strategy of bloc confrontation and focus on healing the divided US society by increasing resources to counter internal challenges and solve economic problems through reforms, rather than blaming other countries and imposing unfair and unjustified measures to ‘outcompete’ other major economies for the right to develop.”