WASHINGTON - A set of historic photos capturing moments of his personal involvement in US-China diplomacy evoked memories of Henry Kissinger on Monday, as the former secretary of state shared his latest thoughts on the bilateral ties.

The pictures "show that we have a history of forty years, and that we have gone through many transitions together, and we will master the future as we have in the past as friends", he said on the sidelines of a discussion on his new book "Henry Kissinger On China".

The photos were part of an exhibit organized by Xinhua News Agency held alongside the book discussion hosted by the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) in Washington. They include scenes from Kissinger's secret trip to China in 1971, and his interactions with Chinese leaders throughout the years.

Chas Freeman Jr, a veteran diplomat who served as Richard Nixon's interpreter when the then US president visited China in 1972, also found himself in a 1972 photo capturing the moment when a group of Chinese table tennis players visited the White House.

"Everyone looked so young," said Freeman, he said he remembered vividly the scenes from that day, and he was delighted to be reminded of the early days of the two countries' rapprochement.

Just like Freeman, former US ambassador to China Winston Lord also found himself in one of the photos. "That's me, early 30s" said a beaming Lord.

John Hamre, President and CEO of CSIS, said people were glad to see the historic photos, especially some of the "older hands" who accompanied Kissinger to China in the early 1970s.

At the discussion, Kissinger said both China and the United States face opportunities and challenges in a changed world, and cooperation between them is "inevitable".

On the former secretary of state's new book, former national security advisor Zbigniew Brzezinski said it "intellectualizes the understanding of the Chinese...in the sense of acquired experience".

Brzezinski also noted that the building of US-China relationship is of fundamental importance to US well-being, and demonizing China is not a policy, but self-damaging escapism which doesn't serve US interests.

Hamre said the discussion is not only about the book, but more of "a commemoration of a new era".