He was sent as consul to Rio and Annaba, and acted as a diplomat in the Italian Embassies in Bucharest, Brussels, Berlin and Paris.

Ezio Mizzan was born in Trieste, now Italy, at the time under Austro-Hungarian rule, on 12 January 1905,[2] to Giovanni, a pharmacist, and Gilda Rovis,[2] into an Italian family originally from Pisino, Istria.

[3] Mizzan arrived in China at 41, and went on to become the first secretary (Primo Segretario di Legazione)[6][7] of the Italian Embassy in Nanjing.

He was the "highest Italian functionary in China among those who, among thousands difficulties, resisted and held their place after the outbreak of the war in Korea, albeit without recognition from Beijing.

[10] As reported in a telegram sent by Mizzan to Rome in October 1950, the absence of immunity might've put him and his colleagues in an uncomfortable position, should they be caught unawares.

Among them were two Italians, the bishops Tarcisio Martina and Antonio Riva, the latter of whom was condemned to death after a summary trial, and executed by firing squad in August 1951.

[6] In January 1950 Mizzan wrote a laconic message in English, entrusting it to the British, since they were the only ones to have a radio to communicate out of China.

[12] However, as McCarthy made his speech in February 1950, it emerged that the United Kingdom, and later the Netherlands, didn't gain much from recognizing China, and the United States, after initially showing support,[12] advised Italy that recognizing China wasn't a good idea,[12] Italy chose to avoid recognition, and finally proceeded with the closure of the office.

[10] Mizzan barely managed to obtain a visa out of China, while Italy telegraphed that the archives should be sent to Shanghai, when possible, or otherwise burned.