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                 US Ambassador to China to Step Down Next Year

   The U.S. ambassador to China says he is stepping down early next year
   to rejoin his family in the United States.
   Gary Locke said in a statement Tuesday he informed President Barack
   Obama of his decision earlier this month.
   The 63-year-old Locke is the first Chinese-American to serve as the
   U.S. ambassador to Beijing.
   Locke said it has been the "honor of a lifetime" to serve as
   ambassador, a position he has held since 2011.
   He said he is proud of the accomplishments made "on behalf of the
   American people and for U.S.-China relations."
   The ambassador noted that U.S. exports to China increased during his
   time in office and that more Chinese were able to travel to the U.S.
   because of reduced visa wait times.
   He also said he helped advance American values by meeting with
   religious leaders and human rights lawyers and by visiting China`s
   Tibet and Xinjiang regions, where ethnic minorities complain of
   official discrimination.
   Locke said he is confident the "complex" U.S.-China relationship will
   continue to grow stronger and that both sides will be able to "manage
   differences and increase cooperation in areas of mutual concern."
   The complex nature of the U.S.-China relationship was on display last
   year, when Locke helped manage a dispute over Chinese dissident Chen
   Guangcheng, who took refuge in the U.S. Embassy in Beijing after
   escaping house arrest. Following tense negotiations in which Locke
   played a key part, the blind self-taught lawyer was allowed to leave
   China to study in the U.S. with his family.
   Locke, who is married with three children, also drew attention in China
   for his relatively humble demeanor that stood in contrast to the lavish
   lifestyle of many Chinese leaders.
   Just days after becoming ambassador, Locke was photographed by a
   Chinese citizen while standing in line at a Starbucks Coffee shop in
   Seattle carrying his own luggage and attempting to pay with a discount
   coupon.
   The seemingly ordinary image spread quickly among Chinese Internet
   users who are more accustomed to seeing Chinese officials surrounded by
   large security entourages and who do not usually carry out such small
   tasks.
   Locke, who previously served as commerce secretary and as governor of
   Washington, did not specify his plans for the future. His statement
   only said that he was quitting as ambassador to "rejoin my family in
   Seattle."
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   [1]http://www.voanews.com/content/us-ambassador-to-china-to-step-down-n
   ext-year/1793727.html

References

   1. http://www.voanews.com/content/us-ambassador-to-china-to-step-down-next-year/1793727.html