Ambassador Locke: China Is A Country Of Great Contrasts

January 18, 2012

Gary Locke is Washington's ambassador to Beijing. He took over the post after Jon Huntsman left to run for president. Locke is the first U.S. ambassador to China to have ancestral roots in that country. Ambassador Locke talks to Steve Inskeep about his impressions of China and its government.

Interview with NPR:

RENEE MONTAGNE, HOST:

You can't pay attention to the presidential campaign without hearing references to China. Republican candidates have complained about Chinese trade practices. Criticizing China in campaign season is getting to be a political tradition – followed by presidential candidates from both parties.

STEVE INSKEEP, HOST:

At the same time, President Obama's administration has been quietly reorienting U.S. foreign policy, seeking to focus more on Asia's Pacific Rim nations. The point man for the administration is U.S. Ambassador Gary Locke. He's a former governor of Washington State and his ancestors came from a village in southern China. Now Ambassador Locke is based in a rising nation that many Americans see as a threat.

Ambassador Locke stopped by our studios on a brief visit to Washington. What does China want?

More: http://www.npr.org/2012/01/18/145384412/ambassador-locke-shares-his-impressions-of-china?ft=1&f=1004