As Secretary of State under President Richard Nixon, Henry Kissinger helped open up China to new and improved relations with the U.S. and the rest of the world — and paved the way for the economic reforms that helped create the China of today. In his new book, On China, Kissinger looks deep into the Asian nation’s history and recounts key events in its foreign policy. Find out more about the book and read an excerpt.

Plus, listen to Kissinger’s interview with Kai Ryssdal, where he discusses what Beijing was like the first time he visited in 1971 and China’s economic rise.