Han Xu; Chinese Official, Ambassador to United States

Han Xu, 70, a diplomat who helped steer China’s relationship with the United States for two decades and was ambassador to Washington from 1985 to 1989. Han’s term as ambassador to the United States ended just after Chinese officials crushed the Tian An Men Square democracy movement in 1989. He continued to meet with U.S. officials, including former President Richard Nixon, as president of the semiofficial Chinese People’s Assn. for Friendship With Foreign Countries. Han served as deputy chief of China’s liaison office in Washington from 1973 to 1979, when the two countries established formal diplomatic relations. Later that year, he returned to Beijing to head the Foreign Ministry’s department for U.S. affairs. As vice foreign minister from 1982 to 1985, he was involved in negotiations over the first major post-recognition crisis between the two governments--Washington’s decision to continue selling weapons to the Nationalist Chinese government of Taiwan, Beijing’s rival. The crisis ended when Washington agreed to phase out sales. In Beijing on Tuesday of cancer.