Henry Kissinger, the former U.S. Secretary of State and national-security adviser under Presidents Richard Nixon and Gerald Ford, has dire warnings about the inability of the U.S. and China to resolve their differences on international trade.

“ ‘It will be worse than the world wars that ruined European civilization.’ ” — Henry Kissinger

Speaking at the National Committee on U.S. China Relations in New York on Thursday, Kissinger said intensifying Sino-American conflicts would potentially be “worse than world wars,” and added that a prolonged spat could have a “catastrophic outcome.”