On September 20, Foreign Minister Tang Jiaxuan met with the family of the Chinese citizens who died in the terrorist attacks on the United States, and expressed, on behalf of the Chinese government and people, sympathy to them for what they had went through.

In a Washington D.C. hotel, Tang met with Zheng Shidong, Zheng Rui and Wan Li, who are respectively the son, daughter and son-in-law of the killed Chinese couple, Zheng Yuguang and Yang Shuyin. Tang said that the motherland cares about them. Following the worst terrorist attacks on the United States in its history, President Jiang Zemin, while sending a telegram of sympathy to the US leaders and people, expressed special concern for the safety of Chinese citizens, overseas Chinese, and Chinese personnel in institutions resident in the US. President Jiang asked the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Chinese embassy and consulates in the US to try to learn relevant information immediately and spare no effort in providing assistance to Hong Kong, Macao, and Taiwan compatriots, Chinese students studying in the US, overseas Chinese and families of the victims.

Tang expressed, on behalf of the Chinese government and people, deep sympathy to Zheng Shidong and his sister and Wan Li, grieved for the loss of their beloved parents, and bowed to the portraits of Zheng Yuguang and Yang Shuyin after the meeting. Tang expressed the hope that they would overcome the current difficulties and work harder abroad and for their motherland.

Zheng Shidong, on behalf of the entire family, expressed gratitude for the care and support provided by the motherland, government and people to an ordinary family. He said that it would be very difficult for them to overcome the pain of bereavement without the care and support of the motherland.

On the same day, Tang also met with overseas Chinese representatives in Washington D.C. area. He encouraged them to live with Americans in a friendly manner, better integrate into the American society, score greater achievements in various fields and make greater contributions to the improvement and development of China-US relations.

On September 11, American Airline Flight No. 77 was hijacked by terrorists and later crashed into the Pentagon. Zheng Yuguang and his wife, both Chinese citizens, were among the passengers killed on broad.