Locke addresses human rights in farewell speech as US ambassador to China
Gary Locke says China's future will depend upon "reverence toward the rule of law" in speech to students on the eve of his departure as US ambassador
China’s future development will hinge on a neutral judiciary and freedom of speech, US Ambassador Gary Locke said on Wednesday in his final speech as envoy to Beijing that focused heavily on human rights.
Locke, who leaves Beijing on Saturday and will be replaced by Senator Max Baucus, said China’s leaders should not sacrifice “the long-term rewards of citizen engagement for a short term definition of social stability”.
“China has a great future ahead of it. But reaching its full potential will depend on a neutral and respected judiciary, an active set of dedicated lawyers, wise leadership, but most of all, reverence toward the rule of law,” Locke told Chinese students at a US cultural centre.
Locke’s two and a half years as ambassador were partly defined by a diplomatic tussle over blind human rights activist Chen Guangcheng, who escaped from house arrest in 2012 to seek refuge in the embassy and later travelled to New York to study on a US-brokered deal.
Locke restated US concerns over a spate of arrests and prosecutions of reform activists, but mentioned no specific cases.
Authorities in the restive far western region of Xinjiang have charged prominent ethnic Uygur economist Ilham Tohti with separatism, his wife and lawyer said on Tuesday. Tohti has championed the rights of Xinjiang’s Muslim Uygur community.