R. Nicholas Burns

R. Nicholas Burns
Official portrait, 2022
13th United States Ambassador to China
Assumed office
April 1, 2022
PresidentJoe Biden
Preceded byTerry Branstad
19th Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs
In office
March 18, 2005 – February 29, 2008
PresidentGeorge W. Bush
Preceded byMarc Grossman
Succeeded byWilliam J. Burns
19th United States Ambassador to NATO
In office
August 7, 2001 – March 7, 2005
PresidentGeorge W. Bush
Preceded bySandy Vershbow
Succeeded byVictoria Nuland
United States Ambassador to Greece
In office
December 22, 1997 – July 29, 2001
PresidentBill Clinton
George W. Bush
Preceded byThomas Niles
Succeeded byThomas Miller
16th Spokesperson for the United States Department of State
In office
1995–1997
PresidentBill Clinton
Preceded byMike McCurry
Succeeded byJames Rubin
Personal details
Born
Robert Nicholas Burns

(1956-01-28) January 28, 1956 (age 68)
Buffalo, New York, U.S.
SpouseElizabeth Baylies
Children3
EducationBoston College (BA)
Johns Hopkins University (MA)

Robert Nicholas Burns (born January 28, 1956) is an American diplomat and international relations scholar who has been serving as the United States ambassador to China since 2022.[1]

Burns has had a 25-year career in the State Department and has served as under secretary of state for political affairs. Appointed by President George W. Bush, he was confirmed by the United States Senate on March 17, 2005, and was sworn into office by Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice. As under secretary, he oversaw the bureaus responsible for U.S. policy in each region of the world and served in the senior career Foreign Service position at the department. He retired on April 30, 2008. He was a visiting scholar at the Woodrow Wilson Center in summer 2008.

President Joe Biden nominated Burns to be ambassador to China in August 2021. He was confirmed by the Senate on December 16, 2021, by a vote of 75–18. He presented his credentials on April 1, 2022.

  1. ^ "New U.S. Ambassador Nicholas Burns arrives in China". Reuters. March 5, 2022.