User:Cawhee/Han Xu (Diplomat)

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Han Xu (born May 26, 1924) was a Chinese diplomat and served as Chinese Ambassador to the United States from 1985 to 1989.

Personal Life

Han was born May 26, 1924 in Jiangning County of Jiangsu Province. His father, Chen Jiayi, acted as a grand justice throughout the rule of the Chinese Nationalist Government. Because of Han's father's position in the government, Han received an elite education. In the 1940s, Han studied at the Yanjing University in Beijing where he met Communist leaders such as future Premier, Zhou Enlai. Following his graduation from Yanjing, Han worked as an English professor at the North China Allied University for several years where he met his wife, Ge Jiyun.^[1][2]

Career

In the wake of the Communist victory over the Nationalists in the Chinese Civil War, Han joined the Ministry of Foreign Affairs where he took the position of Director of the Protocol Department, a position he would occupy from 1949 until 1963. As Director of Protocol, Xu would assist in the 1972 visit of Richard Nixon to China where he would meet with Secretary of State Henry Kissinger.^[1] From 1963 until 1965, Han would serve as the first secretary of the Chinese Embassy in Moscow.^[2]

In 1973, Han was promoted to the first deputy chief of the Chinese Liaison Office in Washington. In the six years Han served the post, he became popular among many in Washington for his sociable attitude and fluency in English.^[1]

Following his role as deputy chief of the Liaison Office, Han became Vice-Minister of Foreign Affairs in 1982. As Vice-Minister, Han worked with United States on resolving the Taiwan issue. Over a series of trips and negotiations between then Vice President George Bush, the two parties came to sign the Third Communiqué that would work to decrease the sale of arms to Taiwan by the United States.^[3]

In 1985, Han would return to Washington to become the third Chinese ambassador to the United States. In the aftermath Tiananmen Square protests of 1989, the Chinese government and Chinese Embassy in the United States found themselves flooded with demands for a response.^[4] On June 24, 1989, nearly three weeks after the conclusion of the events in Beijing, Han penned an article in The New York Times. It overwhelmingly support the Beijing government, while also acknowledging the "unfortunate loss of life" that had occurred.^[5]

There was, I regret to say, loss of life on both sides. I wonder whether any other government confronting such an unprecedented challenge would have handled the situation any better than mine did.

— Han Xu, August 24, 1989

Later Life

After leaving his position as ambassador in 1989, Han was offered the position of chair of the Chinese People's Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries. As chair, Han continued to meet with current and former U.S. officials such as former president Richard Nixon.^[6]

In 1994, Han died in his home in Beijing of cancer.^[1]

External Links

Ambassador Han Xu's full remarks on the Tiananmen Square Protests

References