WASHINGTON / BEIJING - Gary Locke was sworn in as the first Chinese-American to serve as US ambassador to China on Monday, pledging to strengthen bilateral ties and raise issues of concern when disagreements arise.

US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, who officiated at Locke's swearing-in at the State Department, said the former commerce secretary was the right person to manage the "extraordinarily important" relationship between the two countries.

"Gary is going to Beijing at a time when there will be a lot of work for us to do to follow up on with the Strategic and Economic Dialogue, that there will be many difficult issues and challenges to face. But I know that Gary is more than ready to tackle that," she said.

Locke said despite the differences between the two countries, the bilateral relationship also holds great promise for extended cooperation.

"In those sensitive areas where America and China have differences or serious disagreement, I will work to keep the lines of communication open, to convey the administration's positions clearly, and to engage with Chinese government officials at the highest levels," Locke said at the ceremony.

He is expected to take the post in Beijing in two weeks. Coming with him are his wife Mona and their children Emily, Dylan and Madeline.

With his Chinese ancestry and efforts as a legislator to promote China-US trade, Locke, 61, was nominated by President Barack Obama in March after ambassador Jon Huntsman stepped down to prepare for a run for the 2012 presidential election as a Republican candidate.

Before Obama appointed him as commerce secretary in 2009, Locke also served as governor of Washington from 1997 to 2005. As governor, he doubled the state's exports to China.

Locke waltzed through his confirmation hearing in June, when he vowed to promote commercial ties with China and get more engaged with Chinese people. Last week he was easily confirmed by the Senate in a voice vote.

Locke's grandfather went to the US more than a century ago to work as a servant for a family in Washington state in exchange for English lessons. His father was also born in China, and moved to the US as a teenager.

"I can only imagine just how proud my dad Jimmy, who passed away in January, would be for his son to be the first Chinese-American to represent the United States in the land of his and my mother's birth," Locke said.

Analysts believe that Locke's Chinese roots and close ties with the White House can help him bring Beijing and Washington closer, but tough challenges remain, including issues over trade and human rights.

Zhou Shijian, a senior trade scholar from Beijing-based Tsinghua University, said Locke's new post would benefit the Sino-US trade relationship given his former role as commerce secretary.

"He knows well about where the sticking points are in bilateral trade and how to solve them. The growth of Sino-US trade and investment will become an important measurement when assessing his job," Zhou said.

But He Weiwen, an expert at a research institute affiliated to the Ministry of Commerce, said Locke would not have any extra impact on Sino-US trade ties.

He noted that during the former lawyer's term in Beijing, his utmost task remained political affairs, such as how to enhance strategic mutual trust, and trade issue is just one of these issues.

Tao Wenzhao, a senior researcher with Tsinghua University, stressed that Locke, although he is of Chinese origin, is after all a US citizen and like his predecessors, he will do everything to serve the interests of the US.

"Of course, it is easier for Locke, as a Chinese-American who is imperceptibly influenced by Chinese culture, to understand the mindset of the Chinese. And I think his appointment as ambassador reveals the goodwill of the Obama administration," Tao added.

Niu Jun, a professor of international politics at Peking University, said Locke's new post shows the inclusiveness of US society, and Washington will take full advantage of Locke's Chinese background to develop its public diplomacy in China.

Wang Chenyan, Zhou Siyu contributed to this story.

China Daily

(China Daily 08/03/2011 page11)