[Congressional Record Volume 145, Number 96 (Thursday, July 1, 1999)]
[Senate]
[Pages S8066-S8069]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                       AMBASSADOR JAMES R. SASSER

  Mr. BINGAMAN. Mr. President, I want to take a moment to call the 
attention of my colleagues to an important day for one of our former 
colleagues; and that is, Senator Jim Sasser, who is returning from 
China where he has served this country very well as our Ambassador for 
the last 3\1/2\ years. He was confirmed in this Senate on December 19, 
1995, and with an overwhelming vote.
  We are proud of the service he has performed, particularly in recent 
months, because of the strained relations we have had and the genuine 
misunderstanding which has existed concerning the bombing of the 
Chinese Embassy in Belgrade.

[[Page S8067]]

  I think all of us were proud to see the way former Senator Sasser, 
Ambassador Sasser, conducted himself, and how all of the American 
Embassy personnel conducted themselves in that circumstance. I think 
that is typical of the service he provided throughout the time he was 
in China.
  We are glad to see him back in the United States. We, of course, look 
forward to many years of friendship with him in the future.
  I think it is worth noting, because I understand he is returning 
today from China and has distinguished himself in that position and 
deserves recognition.
  Mr. President, I yield the floor.
  Mr. FEINGOLD. Mr. President, I rise to honor one of our former 
colleagues, Jim Sasser, who today completes his term as United States 
Ambassador to China.
  I was honored to serve with Jim Sasser during my first two years as a 
member of this body. He served the people of Tennessee with 
distinction. As a member of the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations, 
I was pleased to support his nomination to be our Ambassador to China 
both in Committee and on the Senate floor. Although I have serious 
concerns about United States policy toward China, I believe that 
Ambassador Sasser served this country admirably during a period of 
immense strain in the complex relationship between the two countries.
  In particular, he displayed enormous poise and courage in the days 
that followed the unfortunate, tragic, and accidental bombing of the 
Chinese embassy in Belgrade. For more than four days, Ambassador Sasser 
and numerous staff members were literally trapped inside the United 
States embassy in Beijing as thousands of demonstrators chanted anti-
American slogans and threw rocks at the embassy from the streets 
outside. I commend him for the calm and diplomatic manner in which he 
dealt with this tense situation. He reminded us that ambassadors are 
more than just the official representatives of the United States; they 
are also the chiefs of mission with responsibility for the staff of 
many U.S. agencies, as well as the responsibility for the safety of 
American citizens living or traveling in the countries in which they 
serve. Our former colleague carried out all of these functions 
admirably under difficult conditions.
  I wish Ambassador Sasser well in his future endeavors.
  Mr. CONRAD. Mr. President, I would like now to take a moment to 
acknowledge the accomplishments of my former colleague and friend James 
Sasser, the United States Ambassador to the People's Republic of China. 
I need not remind the Senate of the quality of his leadership as fellow 
member, and former chairman, of the Budget Committee. It is not his 18 
year tenure in the Senate that I want to discuss at this time, but his 
distinguished work as Ambassador to China.
  Over the past three years, the People's Republic of China has been 
turbulent both socially and economically. From the reversion of Hong 
Kong in 1997, to the heightened concern about human rights violations, 
to the recent developments in Kosovo, it is an understatement to say 
that the task set before James Sasser was daunting. From the onset of 
his appointment in 1996, during the Chinese missile testing in the 
Taiwan straits, James Sasser has worked tirelessly towards a ``strong, 
stable, prosperous China,'' and towards the realization of an equally 
healthy relationship with United States.
  The frontier of Chinese-US relations is a fast changing one, and 
Sasser's efforts have been considerable. Through the continued 
promotion of tariff reduction he has helped to launch American business 
towards the exploration of the Chinese market and helped to secure 
important trade commitments in the negotiations of the PCR's accession 
by the WTO.
  There has also been considerable progress on the human rights front 
during the term of Sasser's Ambassadorship. Coupled with the release of 
prominent political and religious leaders, the PRC's ratification of 
the International Covenant of Economic and Social Rights is one of the 
most significant signs of progress with respect to civil rights in 
China. Sasser has also pioneered agreements with the PCR concerning the 
nonproliferation of nuclear technology, striving'' to cooperate on the 
peaceful uses of nuclear energy and halt the spread of nuclear weapons 
technology.''
  It is with regret that I acknowledge James Sasser's departure. His 
counsel will be greatly missed. His accomplishment as US Ambassador to 
China will be remembered as important in advancing the opportunity for 
a sound relationship between the two countries. I would like to extend 
my sincere thanks for a job well done.
  Mr. DASCHLE. Mr. President, I want to take a few moments to 
congratulate one of our former colleagues and a dedicated public 
servant, Jim Sasser, who leaves Beijing this week as our longest-
serving ambassador to the People's Republic of China. I commend him for 
his distinguished and accomplished record in that demanding post.
  I was proud to serve with Jim Sasser for eight years here in the 
Senate. I observed his fine work as Chairman of the Budget Committee, 
and as a key member of the Appropriations, Banking and Government 
Affairs Committees. He did much for the people of his home state of 
Tennessee, and for the people of this Nation.
  When Senator Sasser assumed the chairmanship of the Budget Committee 
in 1989, we faced growing budget deficits as far as the eye could see. 
When he left the Senate in 1995, he had worked to set us on a course of 
fiscal discipline that has created unprecedented economic prosperity 
and led to the largest budget surpluses in our history. He made the 
hard choices, he made the tough political judgments, and he displayed 
tremendous legislative skill in helping put an end to the huge budget 
shortfalls that plagued our country for far too many years.
  We were fortunate, them, when Jim Sasser again answered the call to 
public service when his third term in the Senate came to an end. As our 
ambassador to China, he has confronted important issues and major 
problems at a crucial time in our relationship. He traveled first to 
Beijing during the crisis in the straits of Taiwan in early 1996. He 
comes home in the wake of the accidental bombing of the Chinese embassy 
in Belgrade. In the three-and-one-half years in between, Ambassador 
Sasser has worked tirelessly to ensure that such incidents will not 
fundamentally alter the course of our relations with the world's most 
populous nation.
  During Ambassador Sasser's tenure, we have seen the exchange of 
visits between our countries' presidents and the very successful U.S. 
tour of Premier Zhu Rongji. Those exchanges highlight the hundreds of 
less prominent, but no less productive, meetings and negotiations that 
have taken place at various levels of government and business over 
these 40 months.
  Clearly, we have important differences with the Chinese. They existed 
before Jim Sasser went to China, and they will persist after his 
departure. But the interests that unite us--in trade, in a cleaner 
environment, in combating drugs and terrorism, in controlling the 
spread of weapons of mass destruction--also remain the same. By helping 
find the common ground on these issues, by maintaining a constructive 
dialogue based on those common interests even at the worst of times, 
Ambassador Sasser has strengthened one of our most important bilateral 
relationships. And he has done it with the personal touch and political 
skill those of use who were privileged to serve with him in the Senate 
know so well.
  So, today I say thank you to Jim Sasser. Thank you again for your 
service as a member of the United States Senate, and thank you for 
skillful diplomacy as our ambassador to China. I know all my colleagues 
will join me in congratulating Ambassador Sasser for a job well done, 
and in welcoming him and his wife Mary back home.
  Mr. BYRD. Mr. President, today marks another milestone in the 
remarkable career of a remarkable man--former Senator James Sasser of 
Tennessee. Today, after three-and-a-half tumultuous years, Jim Sasser 
formally relinquishes his post as U.S. Ambassador to the People's 
Republic of China and prepares to return home.
  I am told that Henry Kissinger gave a speech in Beijing the other day 
and called Jim Sasser ``the best Ambassador we have sent to China.'' 
Having served with Jim for 18 years in the United States Senate, I am 
not surprised at the accolades he has received for his service as U.S. 
Ambassador in one of the most difficult and sensitive posts in the 
world.

[[Page S8068]]

  Jim Sasser is a man of decency, integrity, and honor. Throughout his 
globe-spanning career, as a lawyer, a United States Senator, and a 
diplomat, he has never strayed far from his rural west Tennessee roots, 
where he learned the core values that have guided his actions ever 
since. In 1989, when I became chairman of the Appropriations Committee, 
Jim took over the chairmanship of the Senate Budget Committee. 
Together, we successfully tackled many of the thorny budget and 
appropriations issues that arose in the early 1990's. I was privileged 
to work closely with him for many years on the Senate Appropriations 
Committee, where he served with distinction as Chairman of the Military 
Construction Subcommittee.
  It is clear that the hard work, talent, and leadership that he 
demonstrated throughout his Senate career served Jim well when he took 
over the post of Ambassador to China in 1996. U.S. relations with that 
nation have experienced dizzying swings during Jim's tenure, reaching 
their lowest point when the U.S. embassy in Beijing came under siege 
during the Kosovo conflict, but Jim has always remained above the fray, 
earning the respect of U.S. and Chinese officials alike. Few of us who 
know him can forget the haunting photograph of Jim Sasser standing 
behind the shattered window of the embassy at the height of the anti-
American demonstrations in China just two months ago.
  Mr. President, four-and-a-half years ago, I stood in this spot to bid 
Senator Sasser farewell upon his retirement from the Senate. Today, I 
am pleased to welcome him home to America again. He has served our 
nation with distinction, and I am confident that he will continue to do 
so in the coming years wherever the future may lead him.
  Mr. BAUCUS. Mr. President, I rise today to honor a friend and former 
colleague of many of us in this Chamber, Jim Sasser. Jim will complete 
his assignment as our Ambassador in Beijing this week, an assignment 
that has lasted forty months, longer than any previous American 
Ambassador to China.
  After three terms in the Senate, including his excellent leadership 
as Chairman of the Budget Committee, Jim spent a year in the private 
sector before taking up residence in Beijing in February of 1996. Since 
then, Jim has watched over the U.S.-China relationship during an 
incredibly tumultuous period.
  Jim arrived in Beijing just as the crisis began in the Taiwan straits 
in early 1996. Three years later, he watched over the first exchange of 
Presidential visits between our two countries when Jiang Zemin visited 
the United States and President Clinton paid a return visit to China 
earlier this year. I had the distinct honor to lead the Congressional 
delegation accompanying the President to China and can attest that I 
was profoundly impressed by Jim Sasser's understanding and management 
of this critically important and complex bilateral relationship.
  Then, most recently, we all watched with great worry and anticipation 
as Jim was trapped inside the Embassy during the violent demonstrations 
against the United States. We saw him ably represent and defend 
American interests during that extremely difficult and tense week.
  Jim Sasser has represented this country through the most difficult of 
circumstances. When Jim left the Senate, I was proud that to have 
served in this body with him. As he leaves China, I am proud that he 
was my country's representative there. I wish him the best and know 
that my colleagues do so as well.
  Mr. AKAKA. Mr. President, I rise today to pay tribute to our former 
colleague, a dear friend and a great American, Ambassador James R. 
Sasser, whose distinguished service as United States Ambassador to the 
People's Republic of China ended yesterday. Ambassador Sasser helped 
guide US-China relations through an interesting and complicated period, 
and as he and his family return to the United States I want to thank 
him for his dignified representation of our country.
  I was privileged to serve with Jim Sasser when he was a member of the 
United States Senate. From 1977-1995, Jim Sasser distinguished himself 
first as the junior Senator, then later as the senior Senator from the 
State of Tennessee. While a member of the United States Senate, Senator 
Sasser served as chairman of the Senate Budget Committee and as chair 
of numerous subcommittees on a variety of domestic and foreign policy 
areas. During his tenure in the Senate, Senator Sasser introduced 
legislation to improve child nutrition, increase regulation of savings 
institutions and enhance research and training for geriatric diseases. 
However, Senator Sasser was best known for his role as chairman of the 
Senate Budget Committee where he worked with the White House to secure 
passage of the 1993 Budget Reconciliation and Deficit Reduction Act, an 
accomplishment that is in large part responsible for the unprecedented 
period of economic growth our nation enjoys and the transformation of 
an escalating federal budget deficit into an impressive surplus.
  Moreover, Senator Sasser distinguished himself on foreign policy 
issues, courageously speaking his mind on issues such as the Reagan 
Administration policies in Central America. He was well respected by 
his colleagues and was known for his sharp intellect and genial 
personality. His campaign slogan during his 1976 Senate campaign was 
``in behalf of a government that reflects our decency.'' Senator Sasser 
lived up to that promise through his distinguished record in the United 
States Senate.
  After returning to private life in 1995, Jim Sasser served as a 
Fellow at the Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University before 
he was nominated as Ambassador to China. On January 10, 1996, Jim 
Sasser was sworn in by Vice President Al Gore as United States 
Ambassador to the People's Republic of China. Knowing that Sino-
American relations were at an all time low, Ambassador Sasser went to 
the People's Republic of China with the same diligence that 
distinguished him as a Senator. The first motto that he graced the 
Chinese Embassy with, ``We may doze, but we never close,'' typifies the 
job that Ambassador Sasser did for three remarkable years.
  Ambassador to China is one of the most difficult assignments for a 
diplomat. Dealing with the government of the most populous country in 
the world can be an intimidating task. Ambassador Sasser rose to the 
challenge and quickly established amicable relationships with President 
Jiang Zemin and most recently with premier Zhu Rongji. So tight were 
there bonds that Premier Zhu said after his trip to America with Jim 
Sasser last year. ``I would never have made it without the 
Ambassador.'' The relationships allowed Ambassador Sasser to 
navigate through the tough times in United States-China relations and 
have helped build and sustain cordial relations between the President 
of the United States and the President of the People's Republic of 
China. Moreover, his 18 years of distinguished service in the U.S. 
Senate helped prepare him for dealing with domestic and foreign 
policymakers in both countries.

  Just weeks after Ambassador Sasser was sworn in, his diligence was 
tested when China began missile tests over the Taiwan Strait. Recently, 
United States-China relations were strained once again by the tragic, 
accidental bombing of the Chinese Embassy in Belgrade during NATO air 
strikes and reports of Chinese espionage of our national nuclear 
weapons laboratories. Ambassador Sasser distinguished himself and the 
entire American contingent of diplomats in China by acting in a 
respectful and sympathetic manner to the Chinese government during this 
unfortunate incident. I will never forget the photographs of Ambassador 
Sasser in the ruins of our embassy in Beijing. The calm, composed, and 
dignified manner in which he responded to the seige at our embassy and 
ambassador's residence are the benchmark for grace under fire and will 
forever symbolize the sacrifice and skills of our nation's diplomatic 
corps and foreign service personnel.
  I had the opportunity to visit and talk with Ambassador Sasser on 
numerous occasions in Beijing. His assistance and advice was always 
courteous and on point. From human rights issues to intellectual 
property copyrights, Ambassador Sasser has done a tremendous job 
representing and communicating American interests in the People's 
Republic of China. During his 40 months of service as American 
Ambassador to China, the longest tenure

[[Page S8069]]

of any American Ambassador to China, Jim Sasser has accomplished so 
much in helping to improve Sino-American relations. His achievements 
are numerous and commendable. Ambassador Sasser's service has helped 
advance cooperation between American and Chinese political and security 
officials. Economic relations between our two countries have improved 
under Ambassador Sasser's leadership including ongoing negotiations for 
admitting China into the World Trade Organization. In the area of 
nuclear nonproliferation, Ambassador Sasser has seen the Chinese 
government address U.S. concerns about providing assistance to rogue 
nations, as well as issuing a State Council directive controlling 
export of dual-use items with potential nuclear weapons uses. The U.S. 
Embassy in China has also helped to secure relief assistance to Chinese 
earthquake victims. The list of accomplishments of Ambassador Sasser 
and his corps of diplomatic officials goes on and on. His record as 
Ambassador speaks for itself.
  Although United States-China relations have been damaged by the 
accidental bombing of the Belgrade embassy, we can say that relations 
with China are better now than they were 3 years ago when Ambassador 
Sasser assumed his post in Beijing.
  Now that Jim and Mary have returned safely home, I would like to take 
one final opportunity to thank them and his family for their courageous 
service and commitment to serving America in China. I have to agree 
with former Secretary of State Henry Kissinger's assessment of 
Ambassador Sasser as ``the best Ambassador to China we've ever had''. 
To Jim Sasser and his family, I say maholo nui loa, thank you very 
much, for your service and bid you aloha, welcome home.

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