Former US Ambassador to China and former US Senator Jim Sasser, full name James Ralph Sasser, passed away on September 10 at the age of 87. His son, Gray Sasser, confirmed that Sasser died at his home in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, due to a heart attack.
Sasser, a member of the Democratic Party, served as a senator representing Tennessee from 1977 to 1995, a tenure of 18 years. In 1996, then-US President Bill Clinton appointed him as the US Ambassador to China, a position he held until 2001.
Born in Memphis, Tennessee, Sasser grew up in Nashville. After graduating from college, he practiced law in Nashville and became active in Democratic Party politics, serving as the chairman of the Tennessee Democratic Party from 1973 to 1976.
In 1976, Sasser defeated Republican candidate Bill Brock to become a senator and rose through the party ranks to serve as the chairman of the Budget Committee from 1989 to 1992.
Although he had the opportunity to become the Senate Majority Leader, Sasser was defeated by then relatively unknown Republican Bill Frist in the 1994 re-election. He was the last Democratic Senator to represent Tennessee.
After retiring as Ambassador, Sasser worked as a consultant. In a written statement, his children expressed that Sasser believed in the nobility of public service and the transformative power of government. They highlighted his “quiet accomplishments” in assisting with disability claims and veteran welfare for ordinary Tennesseans.
Sasser’s wife is still alive. During his tenure as US Ambassador to China, the 1999 US bombing of the Chinese Embassy in Yugoslavia, resulting in the deaths of three Chinese journalists, occurred. This year, during the visit of the CCP leader to Serbia, Chinese state media rehashed this event, emphasizing the importance of not forgetting it.
However, in 2021, mainland Chinese websites such as NetEase, Sohu, and Sina reposted old articles titled “Declassified: Bombing of the Chinese Embassy in Yugoslavia by the US”, revealing that the real reason for the US bombing was the presence of wreckage from the US F-117 Nighthawk stealth fighter in the embassy’s basement.
The F-117 Nighthawk is a stealth fighter of the US Air Force and the world’s first aircraft designed entirely using stealth technology. During the Kosovo War, China helped Serbia shoot down a US F-117 Nighthawk fighter.
Subsequently, the Serbian government transferred the navigation equipment, stealth-coated skin remnants, and high-temperature engine components of the F-117 to China in secrecy and stored them in the basement of the Chinese Embassy in Yugoslavia.
The embedded power source of the F-117’s navigation system continued transmitting location information, enabling the US to pinpoint the wreckage’s exact location.
Following unsuccessful diplomatic attempts to persuade China to abandon its support for Serbia, the US resorted to a missile attack to prevent China from accessing crucial military secrets, at a considerable cost.
(Reference: Associated Press reports)