Ambassador Nicholas Platt at the 2019 F.Y. Chang Lecture, held at Peking University in Beijing
The US–China Education Trust (USCET) mourns the passing of Ambassador Nicholas Platt, our beloved Chairman Emeritus, distinguished diplomat, trusted advisor, and cherished friend.
Few Americans did more to build understanding between the United States and China over the past half century. Long before China became a focus of mainstream American attention, Ambassador Platt recognized its importance. His study of China in the early 1960s—when few Americans viewed it as a promising field—reflected the intellectual curiosity and strategic foresight that would define his remarkable career.
That preparation led him to accompany President Richard Nixon on the historic 1972 journey that reopened relations between the United States and China, an experience he chronicled in his 2010 memoir, China Boys: How U.S. Relations with the PRC Began and Grew. Ambassador Platt went on to serve the United States as U.S. Ambassador to Zambia, the Philippines, and Pakistan, before leading the Asia Society from 1992 to 2004. Throughout his career, he believed that diplomacy begins with understanding—an enduring conviction that made him a natural partner for USCET’s mission.
From the establishment of USCET’s Advisory Council in 2004 until transitioning to Chairman Emeritus in 2022, Ambassador Platt provided wise counsel, steady leadership, and unwavering encouragement. He believed that educating future generations of Americans and Chinese about one another was a strategic imperative for peace and stability.
Even during some of the most difficult periods in U.S.-China relations, Ambassador Platt never lost faith in the power of education and cultural exchange. In a 2025 interview with Dr. Emily Matson for USCET, Ambassador Platt reflected on the early years of U.S.-China relations and the importance of strengthening the people-to-people ties, the “tendons and sinews” of the relationship between our two countries. During one of many trips with USCET to China, he observed in 2019 that the bilateral relationship was “fraught but not fragile”—a phrase that captured his enduring optimism. Reflecting on USCET’s work, he wrote that our organization “continues to hit way above its weight,” crediting decades of relationship-building for making candid and constructive conversations possible.
Those of us privileged to work alongside Ambassador Platt will remember not only his diplomatic achievements but also his warmth, generosity, wisdom, and good humor. His legacy lives on in the countless students, scholars, diplomats, and policymakers whose lives he touched and in the bridges he helped build across the Pacific.
On behalf of USCET’s Advisory Council, staff, and friends around the world, we extend our deepest condolences to Ambassador Platt’s family. We are profoundly grateful for his extraordinary service, his friendship, and his steadfast belief in USCET’s mission.