Probably the most useful thing I can do as secretary of state is to assist the president in adapting and renewing the transnational institutions that were created after World War II.

However on May 26 1994 President Clinton renewed China's low-tariff trading privileges effectively delinking the human rights issue from China's trade relations with the US. It was witnessed by Secretary Christopher for the United States and Andrei Kozyrev for Russia in the presence of President Clinton. He was described as "the best public servant I ever knew" by President Jimmy Carter in his memoirs.

During Bill Clinton's first term as President Christopher served as the 63rd Secretary of State. At the time of his death he was a Senior Partner at O'Melveny & Myers in the firm's Century City California office. At the behest of Al Gore Christopher oversaw the Vice President's Florida recount effort in the aftermath of the disputed United States Presidential election 2000.