尼古拉斯·伯恩斯
驻中华人民共和国大使
尼古拉斯·伯恩斯为美利坚合众国驻中华人民共和国大使。经拜登总统提名，2021年12月美国参议院通过确认。
作为大使，他将领导驻北京大使馆和驻上海、广州、武汉和沈阳美国领事馆内，来自美国47个政府部门和下属部门经验丰富、全心投入、多元的公职人员团队。他将负责监督使团与中华人民共和国就广泛议题所进行的互动，包括政治、安全、经济、商务、领事、以及诸多其他建立此至关重要关系的议题。
哈佛大学肯尼迪政府学院（Harvard University’s Kennedy School of Government）予以伯恩斯大使公职服务假，他至2021年为止，担任该学院Goodman家族外交实践和国际关系教授，并成立该学院的“外交的未来项目”（Future of Diplomacy Project）。
他的美国外交职业生涯漫长，历经6位总统和9位国务卿。最近的一次，担任约翰·克里（John Kerry）国务卿（2014-2017）外交政策咨询委员会成员（Foreign Policy Advisory Board）。
在国务院任职职业外交官时，时任分管政治事务的副国务卿（2005-2008），牵头多项谈判，包括美国-印度民用核能合作协议、与以色列的长期军事援助协议、伊朗核项目。
出任驻北大西洋公约组织（NATO）代表（2001-2005）时，他在布鲁塞尔率领美国关于9/11的努力，时值在NATO历史上，盟国首度援引第五条款。当北约接受7个东欧新成员时，他负责美国国务院-国防部联合代表团，并在伊拉克和阿富汗进行任务。
他曾任驻希腊大使（1997-2001），在那之前，担任国务院发言人（1995-1997）。
他曾任职白宫国家安全委员会，担任克林顿总统的特别助理，俄罗斯、乌克兰和欧亚事务高级主任，以及在苏联解体时，担任乔治·H·W·布什总统的苏联事务主任。
伯恩斯大使的外交官生涯始于中东。他曾派驻美国驻耶路撒冷总领馆（1985-1987），协调美国在西岸地区对巴勒斯坦的经济援助，在美国驻埃及开罗大使馆（1983-1985）任职过，并曾在美国驻毛里塔尼亚努瓦克肖特大使馆实习（1980）。
他于1988年随同国务卿乔治·舒尔茨（George Shultz）初次访华，尔后，于1989年，陪同乔治·H·W·布什总统访华。之后，他作为发言人，也曾随同国务卿沃伦·克里斯托弗（Warren Christopher）和曼德琳·奥尔布赖特（Madeleine Albright）出访中国，包括1997年英国归还香港于中华人民共和国 (PRC)之行。
担任副国务卿时，他与中华人民共和国政府在不同议题上进行合作，包括阿富汗、朝鲜、联合国对伊朗的制裁、美国在印度-太平洋的政策。成为平民百姓之后，他建立并负责阿斯彭战略集团（Aspen Strategy Group）与中华人民共和国政府中央党校的政策对话。
伯恩斯于2020年，与马克·格罗斯曼大使（Marc Grossman）和马西·里斯大使（Marcie Ries）共同撰写有关美国外交未来的大型研究。他们呼吁进行根本改革以加强外交和文职服务，重启我们国家对外交的承诺。
伯恩斯大使获颁15个荣誉学位、总统杰出服务奖、国务卿杰出服务奖。他也是诸多其他奖项的受奖人，包括爱沙尼亚、拉脱维亚和科索沃政府所颁奖项。
伯恩斯毕业于波士顿学院（1978年授予历史学士学位），以及约翰·霍普金斯高级国际研究学院（1980年授予国际关系硕士学位）。
他以新英格兰人为傲，热情支持红袜职业棒球队、凯尔特人职业篮球队、新英格兰爱国者美式足球队、波士顿棕熊冰球队、新英格兰革命职业足球队。
他与白丹洛（Elizabeth Baylies）结缡，有3个女儿，并有2个外孙子女。

Nicholas Burns  
Ambassador to the People’s Republic of China  
Nicholas Burns is Ambassador of the United States of America to the People’s Republic of China (PRC).  Nominated by President Biden, he was confirmed by the U.S. Senate in December 2021.
As Ambassador, he leads a team of experienced, dedicated, and diverse public servants from forty-seven U.S. government agencies and sub-agencies at the U.S. Mission in China, including at the Embassy in Beijing and at the American Consulates in Shanghai, Guangzhou, Wuhan, and Shenyang.  He oversees the Mission’s interaction with the PRC on the full range of political, security, economic, commercial, consular, and many other issues that shape this critical relationship.
Ambassador Burns is on a public service leave from Harvard University’s Kennedy School of Government where he was Goodman Professor of the Practice of Diplomacy and International Relations until 2021 and founded the school’s Future of Diplomacy Project.
He has had a long career in American diplomacy serving six Presidents and nine Secretaries of State.  Most recently, he was a member of the Foreign Policy Advisory Board of Secretary of State John Kerry (2014-2017).
While serving at the Department of State as a career Foreign Service Officer, he was Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs (2005-2008) where he led numerous negotiations, including on the U.S.-India Civil Nuclear Deal, a long-term military assistance agreement with Israel, and on Iran’s nuclear program.
As Ambassador to NATO (2001-2005), he led U.S. efforts in Brussels on 9/11 when the Alliance invoked Article 5 of the NATO Treaty for the first time in its history.  He managed the combined State-Defense Department U.S. Mission when NATO accepted seven new members in Eastern Europe and embarked on missions in Iraq and Afghanistan.
He was Ambassador to Greece (1997-2001) and prior to that, served as State Department Spokesperson (1995-1997).
He worked on the National Security Council at the White House (1990-1995) where he was Special Assistant to President Clinton and Senior Director for Russia, Ukraine and Eurasia Affairs and Director for Soviet Affairs for President George H.W. Bush during the collapse of the USSR.
Ambassador Burns began his Foreign Service career in the Middle East.  He worked at the American Consulate General in Jerusalem (1985-1987) where he coordinated U.S. economic assistance to Palestinians on the West Bank, at the U.S. Embassy in Cairo, Egypt (1983-85) and, as an intern, at the U.S. Embassy in Nouakchott, Mauritania (1980).
He first visited China in 1988 accompanying Secretary of State George Shultz and then President George H.W. Bush in 1989.  He subsequently made visits to China with Secretaries Warren Christopher and Madeleine Albright as Spokesperson, including during the handover of Hong Kong from the United Kingdom to the PRC in 1997.
As Under Secretary of State, he worked with the PRC government on a diverse range of issues, including Afghanistan, North Korea, United Nations sanctions against Iran and U.S. policy in the Indo-Pacific.  As a private citizen, he also created and managed an Aspen Strategy Group policy dialogue with the PRC government’s Central Party School.
Burns co-authored in 2020 with Ambassadors Marc Grossman and Marcie Ries a major study on the future of American diplomacy.  They called for fundamental reforms to strengthen the Foreign and Civil Service and to renew our country’s commitment to diplomacy.
Ambassador Burns has received fifteen honorary degrees, the Presidential Distinguished Service Award and the Secretary of State’s Distinguished Service Award.  He is the recipient of many other awards, including from the governments of Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, and Kosovo.
Burns is a graduate of Boston College (BA History 1978) and the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies (MA International Relations 1980).
He is a proud New Englander and passionate supporter of the Red Sox, Celtics, Patriots, Bruins, and Revolution.
He is married to Elizabeth Baylies.  They have three daughters and two grandchildren.