bodyType

customContents

entityId

entityUuid

articlePageQuery

filter

article

articleBaseAdvertisingInfoArticle

articleListArticle

articleSeoArticle

helpersCheckIsPostiesArticle

hooksArticleAcknowledgementGateOverlayArticle

hooksTrackPageViewArticle

hooksContentInterestArticle

articleLinkingDataContent

articleSchemaContent

liveArticle

advertZone

sentiment

contentLock

topics

types

sections

moreOnThisArticles

urlAlias

commentCount

authorLocations

authors

paywallTypes

corrections

sponsorType

displaySlideShow

multimediaEmbed

printHeadline

seriesContainer

socialHeadline

headline

flag

firstTopic

glossary

flattenTypeIds

publishedDate

additionalInfoBoxes

images

image

relatedLinks

relatedNewsletters

__typename

createdDate

sponsor

factSheets

seriesReverseOrder

series

disableOffPlatformContent

published

updatedDate

summary

subHeadline

body

keywords

copyrighted

customTimezone

liveContents

Patrick Boehler

Gary Locke, the American ambassador to China, will be stepping down early next year, the American embassy said in a statement on Wednesday. 
The former secretary of commerce and governor of the state of Washington said he had informed US President Barack Obama earlier this month of his wish to leave his post to join his family in Seattle, Washington.
The 63-year-old is the first American ambassador of Chinese descent to serve in the post. Locke had been confirmed unanimously by the US senate to succeed John Huntsman in June 2011.
Read the full text of the statement.
Photos: Locke's two years in China revisited.
Secretary Clinton Swears in Gary Locke as U.S. Ambassador to China 



Most Chinese-Americans say racial discrimination and hate crime fears plague their life, survey finds

Official Chinese media outlet uses racial slur 'banana' to insult departing US envoy

Scorn and gratitude in China for departing US Ambassador Gary Locke

Reconcile with Tokyo, departing US envoy Gary Locke urges Beijing

Gary Locke

Gary Locke to step down as US ambassador to China in early 2014

US Ambassador Gary Locke delivers a speech to business delegates in Beijing, September 20, 2011. Photo: Reuters

The US Ambassador to China Gary Locke gestures during the US-China People-to-People Exchange at the National Museum in Beijing on May 4, 2012. Photo: AFP

The US Ambassador to China Gary Locke is greeted by Chinese President Xi Jinping as US Treasury Secretary Jack Lew looks on before their meeting in Beijing, November 15, 2013. Photo: AP

Full text: Gary Locke's statement

US ambassador to China, Gary Locke, speaks in Shanghai March 19, 2012. Photo: Reuters

Photos: Gary Locke's two years in China

US Commerce Secretary Gary Locke rides on the MTR in Hong Kong on May 17, 2010. Photo: AFP

US President Barack Obama listens to Commerce Secretary Gary Locke after Locke was announced as the new US Ambassador to China, in the Diplomatic Room at the White House in Washington DC, March 9, 2011. Photo: Reuters

US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton swears in Gary Locke as his wife Mona holds the Bible to become the first Chinese-American to serve as US Ambassador to China August 1, 2011 during ceremonies at the US Department of State in Washington, DC. Photo: AFP

Gary Locke visits Shuibu Kindergarten in his ancestral hometown, Taishan, on November 4, 2011. Photo: Felix Wong

A photo posted on the website of the US Embassy in China shows  the then Chongqing Party secretary Bo Xilai talking with Gary Locke in Chongqing on November 22, 2011. Photo: SCMP Pictures

China's President Hu Jintao shakes hands with Gary Locke during a meeting at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, May 4, 2012. Photo: Reuters

Blind lawyer Chen Guangcheng, accompanied by Gary Locke, talks on a cell phone in a car en route from the US Embassy to a hospital in Beijing, Wednesday, May 2, 2012. Photo: AP

Gary Locke visits Jokhang Monastery in Lhasa in June 2013. Photo: AP

Gary Locke is greeted by President Xi Jinping as US Treasury Secretary Jack Lew looks on before their meeting at the Diaoyutai State Guesthouse in Beijing, November 15, 2013. Photo: AP

Gary Locke attends the Caijing Annual Conference 2014 last weekend. Screenshot: Weibo

Gary Locke sent his statement about his decision to leave his post in early 2014 to media outlets on Wednesday morning. Screenshot: Weibo

Departing US ambassador Gary Locke said in probably his last interview in the mainland that he would suggest his successor Max Baucus make an effort to visit every corner of China. Photo: SCMP Pictures

US Ambassador Gary Locke delivers a farewell speech at Beijing American Center in Beijing February 26, 2014. China's future development will hinge on a neutral judiciary and freedom of speech, Locke said on Wednesday in his final speech as envoy to Beijing that focused heavily on human rights. Photo: Reuters

US Ambassador Gary Locke answers a question after his farewell speech at Beijing American Center in Beijing February 26, 2014. China's future development will hinge on a neutral judiciary and freedom of speech, Locke said on Wednesday in his final speech as envoy to Beijing that focused heavily on human rights. Photo: Reuters

Outgoing US ambassador to China, Gary Locke speaks during a farewell press conference held at the US embassy in Beijing on February 27 2014. Locke was the first Chinese-American ambassador to Beijing and presided over huge growth in economic ties and rise in Chinese visitors to the USA as well as a pair of major incidents that had threatened ties between the nations. Photo: EPA

News

China Insider