(1921.2.17-1992.3.11) Vice Minister, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, People's Republic of China (1972.5-1983.5)

Born in Yingshan, Hubei Province, Yu Zhan served in the army for a long time before the founding of the People's Republic of China. After he joined Ministry of Foreign Affairs in 1950, he served successively as First Secretary in the Chinese Embassy in Poland (1950-1955), Counsellor (1955-1958), Deputy Director General of the Department of Soviet Union and European Affairs (1958.2-1964.7) and Director General (1964.7-1972.5). In November 1964, he was a member of the Delegation of the Communist Party and the Government of China headed by Premier Zhou Enlai to the Soviet Union. In February 1965, he attended the talks at Beijing Airport between Premier Zhou Zhenlai and Chen Yi, Vice Premier and Foreign Minister of China and Alexsei Nikolayevich Kosygin, the Chairman of the Ministerial Meeting of the Soviet Union. In June 1966, as member of the delegation of the Chinese Communist Party and Government headed by Premier Zhou Enlai, he visited Romania, Albania and Pakistan. During his tenure of vice-foreign minister, he headed the Chinese delegation in the boundary talks between China and the Soviet Union from 1972 to 1974. In 1974, he visited Albania and Yugoslavia. In August of the year, in the capacity of deputy head of the Chinese delegation of the Government and the Party, he followed Li Xiannian in the visit to Bucharest to attend the 30th anniversary of the liberalization of Yugoslavia. In 1978, he followed Hua Guofeng in the visit to Romania, Yugoslavia, and Iran. From 1983 to 1986, he was Ambassador to Canada. During this period, he followed Li Xiannian and Zhao Ziyang respectively in their visits to Canada. In June 1988, he was elected member of the Standing Committee of the National Committee of the 7th Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference.