Ambassador Gary Locke Talks About His South China Roots; Outlines Cooperative Economic Initiatives before AmCham in South China

Printer-friendly version

Ambassador Gary Locke Talks About His South China Roots; Outlines Cooperative Economic Initiatives before American Chamber of Commerce in South China. 

Calls Pearl River Delta change the most emblematic of all of China’s transformations.

[Nov. 2 GUANGZHOU]– U.S. Ambassador Gary Locke returned to south China to meet with provincial and municipal party officials, pay homage to his roots and discuss the future of the U.S.-China relationship through the promotion of commercial and people-to-people ties.  Within this context, he outlined initiatives that will strengthen U.S.-China economic ties, increase U.S. exports and ensure the world’s two largest economies contribute toward global economic recovery in a speech to the Guangzhou-based American Chamber of Commerce in South China at Grand Hyatt Hotel, Guangzhou, November 2, 2011.

“What happens here in south China will be vital to the success of the economy of China and to the world economy,” said Locke. 

Locke laid out three goals for his tenure in Beijing that are designed to match the new directions China is taking in its latest five-year plan.  Those goals include: 

• • Helping to double U.S. exports by providing high-quality products and services of great interest in China, 
• • Increasing Chinese investment in the U.S. so that both countries prosper, and 
• • Ensuring U.S. companies compete on a level playing field in China, equivalent to the environment Chinese companies enjoy in the U.S. 

Locke also discussed his priority of reducing wait times to obtain U.S. visas by announcing plans to add 50 new consular officers over the next few years to deal with growing demand.  Locke acknowledged that “travel to the U.S. for business, leisure, and study creates jobs in America and strengthens our commercial and people-to-people relationship with China.”  

Ambassador Locke recalled his ancestral roots in south China by praising the contributions of millions of Chinese-Americans to American politics, economy, and culture and committed himself to “ensuring that Chinese faith in America remains strong.”

According to Consulate Guangzhou, the U.S. Ambassador Gary Locke officially visits both Guangzhou and Taishan Guangdong Province for the first time during November 2 to 4, 2011. Accompanied by Consul General Brian L. Goldbeck, Ambassador Gary Locke will call on Wangyang, secretary of Guangdong provincial Party committee, visit Sun Yat sen Memorial Hall and local secondary schools，meet with AmCham South China, China Investor and the representatives from American Service companies. He will attend the 30th anniversary celebration of American International School of Guangzhou, visit the U.S. Consulate in Guangzhou's new premise in the Pearl River New City, West Wing. Ambassador will also have Cantonese dinner together with visa department of the United States Consulate and some local students. 

In Taishan, Jiangmen City, he will meet with the leaders from Taishan and Jiangmen, pay a return visit to the nursery, ancestral home and relatives.

Follow Ambassador Gray Locke:

Video

Weibo