page_title: Han Xu
section_title: Career
hierarchical_section_title: Han Xu / Career
caption_attribution_description: English: US Senator Bob Dole and Chinese Ambassador Han Xu
context_page_description: Han Xu was a Chinese diplomat who served as the Chinese Ambassador to the United States from 1985 to 1989, and as Vice Foreign Minister of China from 1982 to 1985.
context_section_description: 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. From 1963 until 1965, Han served as the first secretary of the Chinese Embassy in Moscow. As Director of Protocol, Han assisted in US President Richard Nixon's historic 1972 visit to China. According to the US Secretary of State Henry Kissinger, Han was the first person to greet him when he visited China in 1971.
  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.
  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.
  In 1985, Han returned to Washington to become the third Chinese ambassador to the United States. In the aftermath Tiananmen Square protests of 1989, the Chinese government and the Chinese Embassy in the United States found themselves flooded with demands for a response. 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 supported the government action, while also acknowledging the "unfortunate loss of life" that had occurred: "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."
caption: Han Xu (left) with US Senator Bob Dole in 1989
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