Letter from the president of Harvard University to Yang JiechiLawrence H. Summers October 13, 2004 Lawrence H. Summers, President Massachusetts Hall Cambridge, Massachusetts 02138 His Excellence Yang Jiechi Chinese Ambassador to the United States Embassy of the People's Republic of China 2300 Connecticut Avenue, NW Washington, DC 20008 Dear Mr. Ambassador: I am writing again concerning a Harvard alumnus and United States resident, Dr. Yang Jianli, who has been detained in the Peoples' Republic of China since April of 2002. Dr. Yang will be available for parole at the end of this month, and I sincerely hope that the government of China will allow him to return to his wife - an employee at Harvard Medical School - and their two young children at that time.As you know, Harvard University and the People's Republic of China have long held important ties. Many Chinese citizens have received their degrees from Harvard, and the University has a number of ongoing programs and exchanges with Chinese schools and your government. We were especially pleased and honored to welcome Prenier Wen Jiabao to our campus last December for an open exchange of ideas. It is in this spirit of cooperation that I ask your government to look favorably on Dr. Yang's case and, as a humanitarian gesture, allow him to return home to the United States to be reunited with his family.Respectfully yours, (Signature) Lawrence H. Summers-------------------------- |