Within a day of his arrival in Bejing as the new U.S. ambassador to China Gary Locke has already picked up a nickname: the Backpacker.
The nickname was prompted by his arrival in an ordinary car instead of a limousine, coupled with his insistence on carrying his own bags. The lack of pomp prompted the state-run Xinhua to dub him the U.S. “backpacker”.
“A picture of a backpacker on the Internet attracted much attention from the Chinese people,” reported Xinhua Monday. “Sunday afternoon, the backpacker appeared in front of the media as the new US ambassador.”
The nickname appears as a badge of honor in the minds of some Chinese who compared it favorably to the “luxury lifestyle” adopted by their own high-level officials.
“I am both humbled and honoured to stand here before you as a child of Chinese immigrants representing America, the land of my birth, and the American values my family holds dear,” Locke told reporters.
“One thing for sure is that his mission will be much heavier than the bag he carried on the way to China,” the Xinhua article noted.
Locke had already attracted attention from China’s netizens by ordering coffee at a Starbucks at Seattle International Airport and attempting to use a coupon. The coupon was rejected by the barista, prompting Locke to pull out a credit card from his wallet. The incident was jokingly ascribed to a sign of America’s economic ills.
The former Commerce Secretary faces the tricky task of promoting goodwill for the U.S. while also pushing the U.S. agenda on many areas of tension, including trade, the value of the yuan, arms sales to Taiwan and concerns about China’s treatment of its dissidents.
Yet Locke’s Chinese ancestry prompted the hope that he may be able to serve as an effective bridge between the two peoples. At the same time, various commentators noted that Locke faces pressures to show fellow Americans that his ancestry won’t keep him from zealously promoting his nation’s interests.
Before becoming Commerce Secretary in 2009, Locke was a popular two-term governor of Washington state from 1997 to 2005. As governor he traveled frequently to China and was able to double the state’s export to China during his term.
Locke’s paternal grandfather had immigrated to Olympia at the turn of the century and worked as a houseboy before returning to China to start a family. Gary’s father James returned to Washington and fought under General Patton. Gary was born January 21, 1950 in a Seattle veterans public housing project called Yesler Terrace.
Gary worked at his father’s grocery store but earned the rank of Eagle Scout and graduated with honors from Franklin High in 1968. He worked his way through Yale, earning a poli sci degree in 1972. Three years later he got a J.D. from Boston University Law School and became a King County deputy prosecutor. In early 1981 he took off for five months to work as an attorney for the state legislature. That experience opened Locke’s eyes to the potential for public service through elected office.
Locke replaces Jon Huntsman, a former governor of Utah who left China at the end of March to launch his bid for the GOP nomination for the 2012 presidential election.
