Old friend who helped set the course for ties

Editor's note: George Herbert Walker Bush, World War II US naval aviator, Texas oil pioneer, and the 41st US president, died on Friday. He was 94. The People's Daily's WeChat account Xiakedao comments:

It is worth mentioning that George H. W. Bush served as director of the US liaison office in Beijing in 1974 before the establishment of diplomatic relations, and contributed to the thawing of the China-US relations.

The Soviet Union collapsed during his presidency (1988-1992), during which the US also extended its hand directly to the Middle East by initiating the Gulf War. Although he failed to be re-elected - mainly for failing to reboot the US economy - Bush helped to put an end to the Cold War and usher in the post-Cold War era.