Ambassador To China
Following the resignation of Jon Huntsman, Jr., Locke was nominated by President Obama to serve as U.S. Ambassador to China. The Senate confirmed Locke by unanimous consent on July 27, 2011; Locke resigned as Secretary of Commerce on August 1, 2011. A photo of Locke carrying his own backpack and ordering his own coffee at the Seattle-Tacoma International Airport went viral on the Sina Weibo social network. At his first news conference after arrival in Beijing, Locke pledged to promote bilateral cooperation and understanding between the two countries.
Early in Locke's Ambassadorship, Chinese dissident Chen Guangcheng escaped from house arrest and sought refuge in the US Embassy in Beijing in April 2012. On May 2, China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs demanded an apology from the US for its role in the incident. In an editorial on May 4, Beijing Daily questioned Locke's motives by taking in Chen, and described Chen as "a tool and a pawn for American politicians to blacken China".
Read more about this topic: Gary Locke
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