Nicholas Burns sworn in as US ambassador to China

Nicholas Burns has been sworn in as United States ambassador to China, according to Wendy Sherman, United States deputy secretary of state, who tweeted on January 25 (US time): "Today I was honored to swear in Nicholas Burns, our newly confirmed Ambassador to the People's Republic of China."

She wrote that "Ambassador Burns will be a strong voice protecting and advancing US interests in our relationship with the PRC, and I look forward to working with him again."

On December 16, the US Senate confirmed Burns, a veteran diplomat, as ambassador to Beijing, filling a position vacant for more than a year.

President Joe Biden nominated Burns in August, more than six months into his term.

The 65-year-old served as the State Department's No. 3 official under former President George W. Bush and as the department's spokesperson under former President Bill Clinton.

Burns retired from the Foreign Service in 2008 and became a professor at Harvard University.

Former President Donald Trump's ambassador to China, Terry Branstad, resigned in October 2020 to help the Republican president's unsuccessful re-election campaign.