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SCMP Reporters

Gary Locke delivered his final speech as US ambassador to China at the American Center in Beijing on Thursday. Locke has served as ambassador since 2011, and is the first Chinese American to serve in the role. He is set to leave the country on Saturday. 
 
 


Photos: Gary Locke's two years in China

US Commerce Secretary Gary Locke rides on the MTR in Hong Kong on May 17, 2010. Photo: AFP

US President Barack Obama listens to Commerce Secretary Gary Locke after Locke was announced as the new US Ambassador to China, in the Diplomatic Room at the White House in Washington DC, March 9, 2011. Photo: Reuters

US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton swears in Gary Locke as his wife Mona holds the Bible to become the first Chinese-American to serve as US Ambassador to China August 1, 2011 during ceremonies at the US Department of State in Washington, DC. Photo: AFP

Gary Locke visits Shuibu Kindergarten in his ancestral hometown, Taishan, on November 4, 2011. Photo: Felix Wong

A photo posted on the website of the US Embassy in China shows  the then Chongqing Party secretary Bo Xilai talking with Gary Locke in Chongqing on November 22, 2011. Photo: SCMP Pictures

China's President Hu Jintao shakes hands with Gary Locke during a meeting at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, May 4, 2012. Photo: Reuters

Blind lawyer Chen Guangcheng, accompanied by Gary Locke, talks on a cell phone in a car en route from the US Embassy to a hospital in Beijing, Wednesday, May 2, 2012. Photo: AP

Gary Locke visits Jokhang Monastery in Lhasa in June 2013. Photo: AP

Gary Locke is greeted by President Xi Jinping as US Treasury Secretary Jack Lew looks on before their meeting at the Diaoyutai State Guesthouse in Beijing, November 15, 2013. Photo: AP

Gary Locke attends the Caijing Annual Conference 2014 last weekend. Screenshot: Weibo

Gary Locke sent his statement about his decision to leave his post in early 2014 to media outlets on Wednesday morning. Screenshot: Weibo

Departing US ambassador Gary Locke said in probably his last interview in the mainland that he would suggest his successor Max Baucus make an effort to visit every corner of China. Photo: SCMP Pictures

US Ambassador Gary Locke delivers a farewell speech at Beijing American Center in Beijing February 26, 2014. China's future development will hinge on a neutral judiciary and freedom of speech, Locke said on Wednesday in his final speech as envoy to Beijing that focused heavily on human rights. Photo: Reuters

US Ambassador Gary Locke answers a question after his farewell speech at Beijing American Center in Beijing February 26, 2014. China's future development will hinge on a neutral judiciary and freedom of speech, Locke said on Wednesday in his final speech as envoy to Beijing that focused heavily on human rights. Photo: Reuters

Outgoing US ambassador to China, Gary Locke speaks during a farewell press conference held at the US embassy in Beijing on February 27 2014. Locke was the first Chinese-American ambassador to Beijing and presided over huge growth in economic ties and rise in Chinese visitors to the USA as well as a pair of major incidents that had threatened ties between the nations. Photo: EPA

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China

In a farewell speech on Thursday US Ambassador Gary Locke looked back at more than two years of service in China. 


Gary Locke

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