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." Later life After leaving his position as ambassador in 1989, Han was made chairman of the Chinese People's Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries. As chair, he continued to meet with current and former U.S. officials such as former president Richard Nixon. On July 19, 1994, Han died of cancer in his Beijing home. When Henry Kissinger learned of his death, he remarked that Han "did many extraordinary things to further Chinese-American relations." References External links Ambassador Han Xu's full remarks on the Tiananmen Square Protests 1924 births 1994 deaths Diplomats of the People's Republic of China Ambassadors of China to the United States Politicians from Nanjing Yenching University alumni Chinese military personnel of World War II Chinese expatriates in the Soviet Union