James Shen

James Shen
沈劍虹
ROC Representative to United States
In office 1 January 1979 – 9 May 1979
Preceded by	Position established
Succeeded by	Shah Konsin
ROC Ambassador to United States
In office 9 April 1971 – 31 December 1978
Preceded by	Zhou Shukai
Succeeded by	Position abolished
Personal details
Born	2 July 1909 Hongkou, Shanghai, Qing Dynasty
Died	12 July 2007(2007-07-12) (aged 98) Taipei, Taiwan
Nationality	Republic of China
Political party	Kuomintang
Alma mater	Yenching University University of Missouri

James C.H. Shen (Chinese: 沈劍虹; pinyin: Chén Jiànhóng; July 2, 1909 Shanghai – July 12, 2007 Taipei) was a Taiwanese diplomat. Shen served as the last official Republic of China ambassador to the United States before the U.S. switched its diplomatic recognition to the People's Republic of China in 1979.^[1]

Early life

James Shen was born in Shanghai, Qing Dynasty in 1909.^[1] Shen was educated at Yenching University, which was located in Beijing. He earned his Masters degree in journalism at the University of Missouri in 1935.^[2]

Shen worked as a reporter and editor early in his career. He reported for media agencies throughout China, Taiwan and Hong Kong.^[2]

Additionally, Shen began work as an analyst and commentator for the Chinese government.^[2] His early government positions included "section chief" of the Ministry of Information's international department and as a department director for the Government Information Office (GIO).^[2]

Diplomatic career

Shen served for a time as an English-Chinese language interpreter and secretary^[2] for Chinese Nationalist leader Chiang Kai-shek.^[1] He was then appointed spokesman for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and head of the GIO.^[2]

Shen fled to Taiwan with the Nationalists when Chiang Kai-shek moved his government to Taipei following their defeat by Mao Zedong's Communist forces in 1949. Shen served as Taiwan's ambassador to Australia from 1966 until 1968 before returning to Taiwan to become vice minister of foreign affairs between 1968 and 1971.^[2]

James Shen was appointed as Taiwan's ambassador to the United States in 1971.^[1] Shen arrived in Washington D.C. to assume his post just month's before U.S. President Richard Nixon visited mainland China on an official visit. While in China, Nixon signed a communiqué with Zedong's government. The communique officially created the United States's One-China policy which acknowledged Taiwan as part of China, not as the legitimate government of all of China or an independent state.^[1] The communique was a huge blow to Taiwan's Nationalist government, which maintained that it alone was the sole legitimate government of all of China.

James Shen continued his efforts throughout the 1970s to persuade the United States to continue to recognize Taiwan and the Nationalists. The Nationalists and the United States had been important World War II and Cold War allies until the Nixon Administration. However, Shen's diplomacy proved in vain. The United States, under President Jimmy Carter, officially severed diplomatic relations with Taiwan in 1979 as part of its One-China policy.^[1]

James Shen returned to Taipei, in January 1979^[2] and retired following the end of diplomatic relations with the U.S. He lived in Taiwan for the remainder of his life. He wrote a highly critical book about the US withdrawing its recognition of Taiwan, the event of which he was a first-hand witness.^[3]

Shen died at his home in Taipei on July 12, 2007, following a lengthy illness.^[1] He was 98 years old and was survived by his wife, Wei-yi Shen.^[1]

Since 1979, Taiwan no longer maintains an embassy in the United States, since there are no official diplomatic relations between the two countries. However, Taiwan continues to operate a representative office in Washington D.C., called the Taipei Economic and Cultural Representative Office in the United States, with offices in twelve other American cities.

References

China's Ambassadors to the U.S.
Qing ministers to the U.S. 1875–1912	Chen Lanbin 1875–81 Zheng Zaoru 1881–85 Zhang Yinheng 1885–89 Cui Guoyin 1889–93 Yang Yu 1893–96 Wu Tingfang 1896–1902 Liang Cheng 1902–07 Wu Tingfang 1907–09 Zhang Yintang 1909–11 Alfred Sao-ke Sze 1911–12
ROC's envoys to the U.S. 1912–35	Zhang Yintang 1912–13 Xia Xiefu 1913–15 V. K. Wellington Koo 1915–20 Alfred Sao-ke Sze 1920–29 Wu Chaoshu 1929–31 Yan Huiqing 1931–33 Alfred Sao-ke Sze 1933–35
ROC's ambassadors to the U.S. 1935–79	Alfred Sao-ke Sze 1935–36 Wang Zhengting 1936–38 Hu Shih 1938–42 Wei Tao-ming 1942–46 Wellington Koo 1946–56 Hollington Tong 1956–58 George Yeh 1958–61 Tsiang Tingfu 1961–65 Zhou Shukai 1965–71 James Shen 1971–79
ROC's representatives to the U.S. 1979–present	Konsin Shah 1979–81 Cai Weiping 1981–82 Frederick Chien 1982–88 Ting Mao-shih 1988–94 Benjamin Lu 1994–96 Jason Hu 1996–97 Stephen S.F. Chen 1997–2000 Chen Chien-jen 2000–04 David Lee 2004–07 Joseph Wu 2007–08 Jason Yuan 2008–12 King Pu-tsung 2012–14 Shen Lyu-shun 2014–2016 Stanley Kao 2016–
Chiefs of the PRC Liaison Office in the U.S. 1973–79	Huang Zhen 1973–77 Chai Zemin 1978–79
PRC's ambassadors to the U.S. 1979–present	Chai Zemin 1979–82 Zhang Wenjin 1983–85 Han Xu 1985–89 Zhu Qizhen 1989–93 Li Daoyu 1993–98 Li Zhaoxing 1998–2001 Yang Jiechi 2001–05 Zhou Wenzhong 2005–10 Zhang Yesui 2010–13 Cui Tiankai 2013–present