Ambassador Locke to step down for personal reasons
Print Edition
US Ambassador to China Gary Locke is to step down from his role early next year for personal reasons, he said yesterday.
His departure will leave a temporary vacancy in Beijing at a time when the world’s two largest economies must navigate what Chinese President Xi Jinping has called a “major-power relationship.”
“When I met with President Obama earlier this month, I informed him of my decision to step down as ambassador in early 2014 to rejoin my family in Seattle,” Locke said in a statement released by the US Embassy.
Locke is the first American of Chinese descent to head the US Embassy in Beijing. His grandfather emigrated from China to Washington state, and his father, who was also born in China, ran a grocery store in the US.
“Serving as the US Ambassador to China has been the honor of a lifetime,” Locke said in the statement, adding that he was “profoundly grateful” to President Obama for giving him the opportunity to serve as the president’s representative in Beijing over the past two-and-a-half years.
Locke said it had been an immense and rewarding challenge to help manage one of the most vitally important bilateral relationships for the US, with so many American interests at stake.
“Living in China while representing the United States has truly been an exciting privilege for our entire family,” he said.
Locke, 63, known for his affable, non-confrontational style, placed a high priority on improving embassy efficiency and facilitating bilateral trade at a time when exchanges were growing rapidly.
The former commerce secretary carried that role into his ambassadorship, pioneering his position as something of a traveling salesman, plugging American businesses and exports in province-by-province events to promote investment.
“Our efforts have focused on job creation in America by increasing exports to China, opening more markets for American companies and promoting Chinese investment in the United States,” he said.
He named increases in Chinese business and tourism travel to the US and reducing waiting times needed for Chinese to obtain visas as accomplishments.
The speeding up of visa issuance to three to five days from the previous 70-100 days “significantly increased” Chinese business and tourism to the US, he said.
Locke said that as ambassador, he knows that US-China relations continue to grow stronger.
“While our bilateral relationship is a complex one, I remain confident in the ability of our leaders to manage differences and increase cooperation in areas of mutual concern to the benefit of not just our two great peoples, but the entire world,” he added.
The length of Locke’s tenure is consistent with that of other ambassadors. In August 2011, Locke succeeded Jon Huntsman, who left after less than two years to make a run at the White House in the 2012 presidential election.
Locke was immediately popular when he arrived in Beijing, partly because of his Chinese descent, but also because of what Chinese viewed as his humble manner.
He earned admiration after images of him toting a backpack and buying his own coffee at a US airport went viral.
Foreign Ministry spokesman Hong Lei said yesterday China appreciates Locke’s positive efforts to promote China-US exchanges and cooperation.
- About Us
- |
- Terms of Use
- |
-
RSS - |
- Privacy Policy
- |
- Contact Us
- |
- Shanghai Call Center: 962288
- |
- Tip-off hotline: 52920043
- 沪ICP证：沪ICP备05050403号-1
- |
- 互联网新闻信息服务许可证：31120180004
- |
- 网络视听许可证：0909346
- |
- 广播电视节目制作许可证：沪字第354号
- |
- 增值电信业务经营许可证：沪B2-20120012
Copyright © 1999- Shanghai Daily. All rights reserved.Preferably viewed with Internet Explorer 8 or newer browsers.
