[Congressional Record Volume 145, Number 95 (Wednesday, June 30, 1999)]
[Senate]
[Pages S7911-S7912]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                    TRIBUTE TO AMBASSADOR JIM SASSER

  Mr. SARBANES. Mr. President, I rise to pay tribute to Ambassador 
James Sasser, our former colleague from Tennessee, who served in this 
body as a distinguished chairman of the Senate Budget Committee. He is 
returning from his post in the People's Republic of China where he has 
been the U.S. Ambassador since 1995. He has done an outstanding job 
during a challenging period in our relations with China.
  Having had the honor to serve with Jim for 18 years in the Senate, I 
know him to be a man of great insight, intellect, and integrity, a 
highly respected public servant. While he served in the Senate, his 
interests and work covered a broad range of domestic and foreign policy 
issues. As Senate Budget Committee chairman, his keen grasp of 
financial and budgeting issues enabled him to handle that assignment 
with tremendous skill under very difficult circumstances. Jim 
constantly showed great resolve in addressing measures to reduce our 
deficit. He was instrumental in helping lead our country on to a path 
which is reflected in today's budget surplus.
  This dedication and commitment has characterized Jim's lifetime 
devotion to our country. His interests in public service began long 
before he was elected to the Senate. Jim's father, a public servant 
himself, instilled in Jim the principles of public service at an early

[[Page S7912]]

age. He served as a role model for Jim and set him on a course which he 
has followed with great distinction.
  Throughout his career, Jim Sasser has demonstrated, both in spirit 
and in deed, his adherence to the ideals most important to this Nation. 
He is a shining example of how much one individual can contribute to 
our Nation's well-being. Jim's leadership has always been highly 
regarded and broadly respected.
  Throughout his tenure as Ambassador to China, Jim has been confronted 
with many difficult aspects of the relationship. Jim's work has 
emphasized the importance of keeping the lines of communication open by 
regularizing our contacts with the current Chinese leadership and 
ensuring that we remain engaged in our bilateral relationship. Jim's 
longstanding commitment to the promotion of democratic principles and 
values has played an important role in helping shape his service to our 
country.
  Jim Sasser has done a terrific job as our Ambassador to China, and I 
wish him well in all his future endeavors.
  Mr. HOLLINGS. Mr. President, I rise today to pay tribute to my 
esteemed former colleague, Ambassador Jim Sasser. He will soon be 
stepping down from his post as the longest serving American Ambassador 
to China. But it does not seem long ago that he and I were working 
together on the Budget Committee where he served as the chairman of the 
Senate Budget Committee. In fact, as we talk today of the great state 
of the economy, it should be former Senator Sasser that we thank for 
having the leadership to push through the deficit reduction package 
that has led to today's unprecedented economic growth and prosperity. 
As a former Budget Committee Chairman myself, it was with great pride 
that I worked side-by-side with the former Senator in the Budget 
Committee because I understood the great challenges that the job 
entailed. He did a superb job in his duties here in the Senate, and it 
is with the same dedication and fairness that he represented this 
nation so admirably in his post as the U.S. Ambassador to China.
  I still remember vividly the front page of the newspaper a few months 
ago which showed Ambassador Sasser looking through the shattered window 
of the American Embassy. Suffice to say that Ambassador Sasser has 
served during some very difficult times in China-U.S. relations. Few 
relationships are as difficult to define and put in perspective and I 
think that Ambassador Sasser would agree that there is still much work 
to be done. But during his tenure, Ambassador Sasser was able to build 
consensus and to find common ground between the two nations that has 
allowed the relationship to prosper. Ambassador Sasser should be 
commended for his dedication as a gifted emissary between the world's 
largest developed country and the world's largest developing country. 
He has served the United States admirably and I commend him for his 
dutiful service.

                          ____________________