Zhang Wenjin (; 13 July 1914 – 18 February 1991) was a Chinese Deputy Foreign Minister and Ambassador to the United States and Canada. Zhang participated in historic meetings including

Henry Kissinger Henry Alfred Kissinger (; ; born Heinz Alfred Kissinger, May 27, 1923) is a German-born American politician, diplomat, and geopolitical consultant who served as United States Secretary of State and National Security Advisor under the presid ...

's secret talks with China's Prime Minister

Zhou Enlai Zhou Enlai (; 5 March 1898 – 8 January 1976) was a Chinese statesman and military officer who served as the first premier of the People's Republic of China from 1 October 1949 until his death on 8 January 1976. Zhou served under Chairman M ...

in 1971, Zhou's meeting with US President

Richard Nixon Richard Milhous Nixon (January 9, 1913April 22, 1994) was the 37th president of the United States, serving from 1969 to 1974. A member of the Republican Party, he previously served as a representative and senator from California and was ...

in 1972, and the Paris peace talks on Vietnam in 1973. When Kissinger came to China in 1971 as the first step in normalizing relations, Zhang was the Foreign Ministry's senior official in charge of relations with the West. Zhang's death was reported by the

China Central Television China Central Television (CCTV) is a Chinese state- and political party-owned broadcaster controlled by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). Its 50 different channels broadcast a variety of programing to more than one billion viewers in six lan ...

, and the cause was not specified.

References

Ambassadors of China to the United States 1914 births 1991 deaths Diplomats of the People's Republic of China {{China-diplomat-stub