• About
  • Events
  • Community Calendar
  • Advertise
  • Subscriptions
  • Foundation
  • Contact
  • Seattle Chinese Post

Northwest Asian Weekly

  • Community
    • Names in the News
    • Local
    • Business
    • Pictorials
    • Obituaries
  • Nation
  • World
  • Arts & Entertainment
  • Columns
    • On the Shelf
    • At the Movies
    • A-POP!
    • Publisher Ng’s blog
    • The Layup Drill
    • Travel
    • Wayne’s Worlds
  • Opinion
    • Editorial
    • Commentary
    • Publisher Ng’s blog
    • Letters to the Editor
  • Astrology
  • Classifieds
  • Community Calendar
You are here: Home / Columns / Publisher Ng's blog / Blog: Please speak English, not Chinese!

Blog: Please speak English, not Chinese!

March 10, 2011 By Northwest Asian Weekly

Gary Locke

Gary Locke as the U.S. Ambassador to China? Why yes!

“What qualifies U.S. Commerce Secretary Gary Locke to be the U.S. Ambassador to China?”

KOMO Radio asked me in an interview.

You know what my immediate (silent) reaction was?

He doesn’t speak Chinese! 

Many past ambassadors to China spoke fluent Chinese.

But they didn’t have what Locke has.

Locke will make a great ambassador. The language issue is not the only thing that makes a good ambassador. An understanding of and a connection to the Chinese government is. Locke is the son of Chinese immigrants.  He grew up within the culture. His years of working with China in trade during his two-term governorship is a plus. His law practice as a trade attorney for David Wright Tremaine brought him to China numerous times. His two-year stint as U.S. Commerce Secretary also gives him an advantage on trade issues having to do with China.

When the Chinese President Hu Jintao visited Washington state in 2006, Locke was able to guide the visit so that everything Hu experienced in our state was stellar. In contrast, Hu’s trip to the other Washington turned out to be a flop.

Actually, not speaking Chinese is a positive for Locke. If he could speak the language, many Chinese would swarm around him with unnecessary distractions, irrelevant gossip, and various proposals. The language difference will protect Locke from meaningless socializing and will help him focus on the most important aspects of his job. ♦

Share:

  • Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Tumblr (Opens in new window)
  • Click to email this to a friend (Opens in new window)

Related

Filed Under: Publisher Ng's blog Tagged With: 2011, China, Chinese President Hu Jintao, Commerce Secretary Gary Locke, David Wright Tremaine, Vol 30 No 11 | March 12 - March 18, culture, gary locke, language

Comments

  1. ipoke says

    March 10, 2011 at 4:52 pm

    >a connection to the Chinese government

    Hmmm. Does that come with a title and perks?

  2. reader says

    March 10, 2011 at 4:14 pm

    I totally disagree with the opinion. As if knowing the language of the country is a disadvantage. One should know how to handle distractions.

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • RSS
  • Twitter
  • YouTube

Find us on Issuu!

Subscribe to our e-news

© 2020 NORTHWEST ASIAN WEEKLY
412 MAYNARD AVE. S., SEATTLE, WA 98104
206-223-5559 | INFO@NWASIANWEEKLY.COM
loading Cancel
Post was not sent - check your email addresses!
Email check failed, please try again
Sorry, your blog cannot share posts by email.