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U.S. Commerce Secretary Gary Locke's Remarks on His Nomination as the U.S. Ambassador to China

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Wednesday, March 9, 2011
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Commerce Secretary Gary Locke
U.S. Commerce Secretary Gary Locke's Remarks on His Nomination as the U.S. Ambassador to China

Thank you, Mr. President.

I am deeply humbled and honored to be chosen as your Ambassador to China.

It was a little over a century ago that my grandfather first came to America to work as a houseboy for a family in Washington State in exchange for English lessons. 

My father arrived years later, and became a member of the Greatest Generation; enlisting in the U.S. Army and taking part in the Normandy invasion and the march to Berlin, before coming home to raise a family and build a small business in Seattle.   

My father never imagined that his child would one day serve America as the Secretary of Commerce. He was beaming with pride the day you presided over my swearing-in ceremony.

Sadly, Dad passed away this January.  But I know that if he were still alive, it would be one of his proudest moments to see his son named as the U.S. Ambassador to our ancestral homeland.

I’m going back to the birthplace of my grandfather and father, and I’ll be doing so as a devoted and passionate advocate for America, the country where I was born and raised.

As Commerce Secretary, I have helped open up foreign markets for American businesses so they can create jobs right here in America.

I'm eager to continue that work in China, and to help you, Mr. President, manage one of America's most critical and complex diplomatic, economic and strategic relationships.

I’m excited to take on this new challenge, as is my wife Mona and our three children.  

And we’ll be leaving Washington, D.C. with great memories and many new friends.

Being Commerce Secretary has been one of the best jobs I've ever had, thanks to the immensely talented and dedicated men and women at the Commerce Department, in the White House and in the Cabinet.

I’m proud of the work we've done at Commerce:

  • Delivering services faster;
  • Serving the needs of U.S. businesses and workers; and
  • Saving taxpayers billions of dollars by being more efficient in everything we do.

I am confident theses accomplishments will stand the test of time.

Mr. President, I am eager to assume this new position.

It is a privilege and a solemn responsibility to serve you and the American people as the next U.S. ambassador to China.

Thank you for your confidence and trust in me.