Ambassador Gary F. Locke

Ambassador Gary F. Locke 

On March 9, 2011, President Barack Obama nominated Gary Locke to be the 10th Ambassador of the United States of America to the People’s Republic of China. He was confirmed by the Senate on July 27, 2011 and was sworn in on August 1, 2011. He assumed duty as the Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary to the People's Republic of China on August 13, 2011.

Previously, Ambassador Locke served as the Secretary of Commerce where he helped implement President Obama's ambitious agenda to turn around the economy and put people back to work. As the administration’s point person for achieving the President’s National Export Initiative, he presided over a 17 percent increase in exports from 2009 to 2010, while exports to China saw a 32 percent increase. Ambassador Locke also oversaw a significant first step in the president’s export control reform effort that strengthens national security, while making U.S. companies more competitive by easing their licensing burden for exports to partners and allies.

Before his appointment to the President’s Cabinet, Ambassador Locke served two terms as Governor of Washington, the nation’s most trade-dependent state. He expanded the sale of Washington products and services by leading 10 productive trade missions to Asia, Mexico and Europe. During the eight years of the Locke administration, Washington State gained 280,000 jobs despite two national recessions.

As both Governor and Commerce Secretary, Locke’s innovations in government efficiency, customer focus, and priority based budgeting, as well as successful and under-budget management of high risk initiatives, have won him acclaim by nationally recognized authors and organizations, including Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government.

Along with his longstanding commitment to public service, Ambassador Locke has extensive experience working with China. As Secretary of Commerce, he co-chaired two sessions of the U.S.-China Joint Commission on Commerce and Trade that resulted in important changes to Chinese trade policy, helping to level the playing field for U.S. businesses exporting to and operating in China. As Governor of Washington, he successfully strengthened economic ties between China and Washington State, more than doubling the state's exports to China to over $5 billion per year. As a partner in the Seattle office of the international law firm, Davis Wright Tremaine LLP, he co-chaired the firm's China practice.

Ambassador Locke is the first Chinese-American to serve as Ambassador to China, as Secretary of Commerce and as Governor. His grandfather emigrated from China to Washington State, initially finding employment as a servant, working in exchange for English lessons. His father, also born in China, was a small business owner, operating a grocery store where Ambassador Locke worked while receiving his education from Seattle's public school system.

Ambassador Locke earned a bachelor's degree in political science from Yale University and a law degree from Boston University. He is married to Mona Lee Locke and they have three children together: Emily, Dylan, and Madeline.

Remarks by the Ambassador

1. 04/29/13 - Ambassador Locke's Statement on the Passing of Bishop Jin of Shanghai
2. 04/25/13 - Ambassador Locke's Remarks at Xinjiang University
3. 04/09/13 - Ambassador Locke's Remarks on Microsoft Forum 
4. 02/25/13 - Ambassador Locke's Remarks on Rule of Law: The Key to Peace and Prosperity
5. 02/05/13 - Ambassador Locke's Remarks at Goldman Sachs Macro Conference
6. 01/17/13 - Ambassador Locke's Remarks at the Economist China Summit
7. 12/05/12 - Keynote Address Gary F. Locke United States Ambassador to China Ambassador’s Investment Forum
   Keynote Address Gary F. Locke United States Ambassador to China Ambassador’s Investment ForumKeynote Address Gary F. Locke United States Ambassador to China Ambassador’s Investment Forum
8. 09/24/12 - Ambassador Locke's Remarks at the “Select USA - Invest in America” Seminar
9. 09/09/12 - Ambassador Locke's Speech at the U.S.-China Investment Forum
10. 09/01/12 - Ambassador Locke's Remarks at East-West Center Conference Yingjie Exchange Center, Peking University
11. 06/08/12 - Ambassador Locke's Remarks on Announcing Expansion of U.S. Consulate General Wuhan
12. 05/25/12 - Ambassador Locke's Remarks at Memorial Day 
13. 05/17/12 - Ambassador Locke's Remarks at the Opening Ceremony of U.S.-China Joint Training Program for Afghan Diplomats 
14. 05/03/12 - Ambassador Locke Interviewed by Stan Grant of CNN on Chen Guangcheng
15. 05/03/12 - Ambassador Locke Interviewed by Karson Yiu of ABC News on Chen Guangcheng
16. 05/03/12 - Ambassador Locke Interviewed by Ian Williams of NBC on Chen Guangcheng 
17. 05/03/12 - Ambassador Locke Interviewed by Marsh Cooke of CBS on Chen Guangcheng 
18. 05/03/12 - Ambassador Locke On-The-Record Briefing on Chen Guangcheng
19. 04/13/12- Ambassador Locke Interviewed by Peoples Daily Editors
20. 04/12/12 - Ambassador Locke's Roundtable on Intellectual Property Protection
21. 03/30/12 - Ambassador  Locke's Town Hall Meeting with Baidu Employees
22. 03/19/12 - Ambassador Locke's Remarks at the 7th Annual Barnett-Oksenberg Lecture
23. 02/14/12 - Ambassador Locke: Shared Journey, Shared Responsibility
24. 02/09/12 - Ambassador Locke's Announces New Interview Waiver Pilot Program
25. 01/19/12 - Ambassador Locke On the Occasion of the 2012 New Year of the Dragon
26. 12/15/11 - Ambassador Locke's Remarks to the Caijing Annual Conference
27. 12/10/11 - Ambassador Locke's statement On the Occasion of Human Rights Day
28. 12/01/11 - Ambassador Locke: China and America: Leading With Science, Uniting for Action on HIV/AIDS
29. 11/22/11 - Ambassador Locke's Remarks at the Meeting with Chongqing Party Secretary Bo Xilai
30. 11/18/11 - Ambassador Locke's Remarks at The Economist Summit
31. 11/22/11 - Ambassador Locke Interviewed by China News Service
32. 11/03/11 - Ambassador Locke's Remarks to the American Chamber of Commerce in South China
33. 10/13/11 - Ambassador Locke Outlines Initiatives to Strengthen U.S.-China Economic Ties before American Chamber of Commerce in Shanghai
34. 09/20/11 - Ambassador Locke's Remarks to the American Chamber of Commerce in China and the U.S.-China Business Council
35. 09/11/11 - Ambassador Locke's Remarks at the 10th Anniversary of 9/11 Memorial
36. 09/09/11 - Ambassador Locke Addresses Students and Faculty of Beijing Foreign Studies University
37. 08/22/11 - Ambassador Locke at Ceremony for Peace Corps Volunteers in China
38. 08/14/11 - Ambassador Locke's Remarks at Residence Press Gathering