Washington: Former Commerce Secretary Gary
Locke has been sworn in as the new US Ambassador to China
becoming the first Chinese-American to hold the post.
Secretary of State Hillary Clinton who officiated the
swearing in ceremony said the ex-two-term governor of
Washington state was the right person to manage the
"extraordinarily important" relationship US has with China.
"It goes pretty much without saying, but I will say it
anyway, that our relationship with China is an extraordinarily
important one that we think has a great substance to it and a
great deal to what kind of future we will enjoy together in
the 21st century," Clinton said
Locke, grandson of an immigrant from China, was easily
confirmed to the position by the Senate in a voice vote. As
the top US envoy in Beijing, he replaces Jon Huntsman, who
resigned to seek the Republican presidential nomination to
challenge President Barack Obama next year.
Clinton said Locke is going to Beijing at a time when
there will be a lot of work for the Obama Administration to
do, to follow up the Strategic and Economic Dialogue.
"We are two complex, large nations with different
histories and different political systems, but we know the
importance of getting to know one another better, working
together, solving problems together, and that is what we have
been committed to doing," she said.
Locke in his remarks said that he would work in
sensitive areas where America and China have differences or
serious disagreement.
"I firmly believe improved US-China cooperation is
critically important, not just for our own two countries but
for the world community," he said.
Locke said growing up as a child of Chinese immigrants
and having the opportunity to represent America, the land of
his birth, was 'surely beyond any dream' he could possibly
have.
"It may be cliché to say only in America, but in this
case and for this role, it is both profoundly true and
profoundly important. It is America and America's promise as a
land of freedom, equality, and opportunity that I will
represent when serving the President and the American people
as the United States ambassador to China," Locke said.
PTI
First Published: Tuesday, August 02, 2011, 12:32