New U.S. Ambassador Talks the Talk, Aims to Walk the Walk

The new U.S. ambassador in Beijing looks like he plans to walk the walk.

Not long after getting off a flight from Honolulu on Monday night, Max Baucus was greeting the local press corps, kicking off  his remarks with an energetic  quote from Chinese philosopher Lao Tzu and saying “a journey of a 1,000 miles begins with a single step.”

“Brave words,” added the 72-year-old former senator and long-time outdoorsman from Montana—a place where you can get in a lot of practice tramping around.

He quickly picked up the travel theme again, saying: “I hope to get out of this office and out of Beijing.” Mr. Baucus said his goal is to visit all of China’s provinces and regions, adding: “I’m eager to listen and learn.”

The six-term Democratic senator concedes he is hardly a China specialist, but he has made eight visits to the country—and his first official one was in 1993. More importantly in his current post, he is well versed in trade and financial issues, including his key support for China’s accession to the World Trade Organization.

Just to be safe, Mr. Baucus said he talked to two of his predecessors, Gary Locke and Jon Huntsman, for a little bit of guidance. The new ambassador said he has met President Xi Jinping and noted the Chinese leader referred to common interests between the U.S. and China outweighing the differences.

Mr. Baucus called U.S.-China ties “one of America’s most important bilateral relationships.”

“I want to be part of managing this relationship,” he said. “We simply must get it right.”

The man tapped by President Barack Obama to replace Mr. Locke outlined some of his goals in the job. At the top of the list is managing the already-strong economic relationship between the world’s two biggest economies, and Mr. Baucus added that he would look to ensure a level playing field for American businesses in China.

He also spoke of aiming to “partner with China” in dealing with global challenges and working with Beijing to support the laws, norms, values and rights that underpin global society.

More In Max Baucus
‘Thoroughly American’ Locke Bids China Goodbye
U.S. Nominee for China Post Promises Human Rights Agenda
Baucus a Longtime Proponent of China Trade Ties
Aides: Max Baucus Has Long Been Fascinated With China
China Reacts: Can Max Baucus Handle Beijing's Pollution?
The ambassador noted that he got some of his taste for travel — and global affairs –as a young student when he took a year off from Stanford University to hitchhike around the globe.

Perhaps more importantly for his new job, Mr. Baucus has done a lot of walking in the Senate corridors. In a career that took him to the head of the Senate Finance Committee, he made plenty of  allies on Capitol Hill. His Senate confirmation for the Beijing post sailed through in a 96-0 vote.

The new ambassador also seemed to have taken on a little bit of quiet diplomacy. Nowhere in his remarks did he mention how Beijing’s gritty pollution might cut into his walking plans.

Hangzhou Royal Printing Co., Ltd is a leading printer in east China, mainly dealing with books, magazines , catalogues printing and packaging .
Our production inludes paper box (cardboard box,gift box,cigarette box,wine box, daily goods box, retail packaging, cosmetic box), paper bags (gift bags, shopping bags, wine bags, marketing bags, handbags) and printings of brochures, catalogs, magazines, books (hard cover and soft cover), children’s books, art books, cookbooks, journals, diaries, ring binders, presentation folders, notebooks, calendars, placemat/3D placemat、 postcards/3D Postcards, greeting/gift cards , leaflets, booklets, decals ,and etc. We are certified with SGS , Our products are widely exported to more than 30 countries including Australia, Europe, USA and Africa.more detail please click www.royalprintings.com.