Hu Na

This is a Chinese name; the family name is Hu.

Hu Na
胡娜

Country	People's Republic of China; United States; Republic of China (Taiwan)
Residence	Taipei, Republic of China (Taiwan)
Born	April 16, 1963 (1963-04-16) (age 48)[1] Chengdu, Sichuan, People's Republic of China
Retired	1991[2]
Career prize money	US$ 208,560[1]
Singles
Career record	75-97[1]
Career titles	0[1]
Highest ranking	No. 48 (February 29, 1988)[1]
Grand Slam results
Australian Open	2R (1987)
French Open	2R (1990)
Wimbledon	3R (1985)
US Open	2R (1985, 1986)
Doubles
Career record	45-67[1]
Career titles	1[1]
Highest ranking	No. 49 (June 25, 1990)[1]

Hu Na (Chinese: 胡娜; pinyin: Hú Nà) (born April 16, 1963^[1]) is a former professional tennis player best known for defecting from the People's Republic of China to the United States in 1982, thereby sparking a Cold War-era diplomatic incident. Diplomatic relations between the two countries had been established in 1979, and the Hu Na incident was among the first major tests of those newly-established relations.

Early life

Hu Na was a young and rising tennis star from China's Sichuan province. She had a talent for sports from a very early age, and spent several hours practicing every day. Noting her talent, her father was able to enroll her in a special athletic school. She took a special interest in tennis, going on to win first at the Sichuan provincial level competition, then the national level young tennis tournament, making her China's top-ranked tennis player. At this point, she was invited to join the China national women's tennis team, based in Beijing.

Diplomatic incident

Beginning of incident

In July 1982, while touring California with a Chinese government-sponsored tennis team, on her second day in America, Hu Na fled her hotel room and sought refuge in the home of friends. In April 1983, she requested political asylum, stating that she had a "well-founded" fear of persecution because of repeatedly refusing to join the Communist Party of China.

Immediate reactions of Chinese and American governments

The US government allowed her to remain in America while it considered her request. It delayed nearly eight months in making a decision. On the one hand, Hu Na had considerable sympathy from President Reagan's administration and from the American public, but on the other hand, American diplomats knew that to grant Hu Na asylum would almost certainly damage relations with China and possibly drive it closer to the Soviet Union.

The Chinese government meanwhile stated that it had no intention of persecuting Hu Na and floated vague assertions that she was being compelled to stay in America against her will.^[3] They demanded her return to China.

Granting of asylum

The US Department of State finally issued a memo supporting her asylum claim to the Department of Justice, which had the ultimate responsibility to make a decision. On April 5, 1983, the United States formally granted Hu Na political asylum.

The Chinese government was infuriated, saying that this constituted blatant American intervention in its domestic affairs. They then announced they would sever all cultural and artistic ties between the two countries. A Voice of America radio broadcasting delegation visit to China, scheduled to take place just a few days later, was cancelled. American diplomats in Beijing found themselves cut off from invitations and contacts with the Chinese government.

Long-term effects

While the asylum incident's aftershocks were at first severe, the incident did not impact long-term Sino-American relations. Hu Na herself was likely of little concern to the Chinese, however, the incident was an embarrassment for the Chinese government and brought to light other bilateral points of contention. One contemporary article ^[4] stated that the Chinese, through diplomatic channels, suggested that they would not have complained as much if Hu Na was granted some type of immigration status other than "political asylum".

Ultimately, the incident did not result in long-term damage to Sino-American relations. Looking back, it was a clear win for American foreign policy.^[5] The United States showed it was willing to reject unreasonable Chinese demands even while seeking improved relations. China, meanwhile, learned that even high level diplomatic maneuvers would be unlikely to change a US policy with popular support across American society.

Later life

After receiving asylum, Hu Na played professional tennis for the United States. Her best Grand Slam result was a third-round finish at the 1985 Wimbledon. She retired from professional play in 1991, however, after sustaining injuries.^[2]

She resettled in Taiwan. There she worked as a tennis commentator for ESPN and established the Hu Na Bitan Tennis Club in Taipei.^[2]

See also

• Tennis in China

References

1. ^ ^{a b c d e f g h i} "Hu Na (USA)". Women's Tennis Association. http://www.sonyericssonwtatour.com/page/Player/Stats/0,,12781~5738,00.html. Retrieved 2009-03-20. 
2. ^ ^{a b c} Chang, David. "Former Chinese tennis star, defector, to return to China". Bangkok Post. http://www.bangkokpost.com/sportsplus/sportsplus.php?id=129444. Retrieved 2008-08-15. 
3. ^ "Headliners: Between East and West". The New York Times. 1983-03-27. http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9F0CE3DE1039F934A15750C0A965948260. Retrieved 2008-08-15. 
4. ^ Isaacson, Walter (1983-04-18). "Furious Volley in No Win Match". Time. http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,953788-1,00.html. Retrieved 2008-08-15. 
5. ^ Copper, John F. (1983-08-23). "The Lessons of Playing Tough with China". Heritage Foundation. http://www.heritage.org/Research/AsiaandthePacific/asb4.cfm. Retrieved 2008-08-15. 

External links

• Hu Na at the Women's Tennis Association
• Hu Na at the International Tennis Federation
• Hu Na at the Fed Cup

Persondata
Name	Hu, Na
Alternative names
Short description
Date of birth	1963-04-16
Place of birth	Chengdu, Sichuan, People's Republic of China
Date of death
Place of death