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Washington and Beijing should not seek to place Taiwan at the center of their tense diplomatic relationship, said former US Secretary of State Henry Kissinger, adding that the need for the world's two largest economies to avoid direct confrontation is in the interests of global peace, CNBC reports.

Speaking at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Kissinger said that the United States should not work out some kind of 'two-China' solution through subterfuge or a gradual process, and China will continue to exercise the patience it has shown so far.

Direct confrontation should be avoided and Taiwan cannot be the center of negotiations because it is between China and the United States, he noted.

As far as the substance of the negotiations, it is important that the United States and China discuss the principles that affect the hostile relationship, which leaves at least some room for joint efforts, Kissinger said. 

Kissinger, who turns 99 on Friday, served as secretary of state and national security adviser to Republican presidents Richard Nixon and Gerald Ford in the 1970s.

He influenced some of the most important turns in US foreign policy during his time in office, including the organization of US relations with China.

Earlier Monday, Biden told reporters at a joint press conference with Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida that the US would be prepared to defend Taiwan if Beijing invaded.

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