Beijing (CNN) -- Washington is sending a veteran politician, not a career diplomat, as its new ambassador to China. Six-term Democratic Party Senator Max Baucus, 72, will soon take up his diplomatic post in Beijing, replacing Gary Locke, who is stepping down to rejoin his family in Seattle. Given his relative lack of China experience, some, in both the U.S. and in China are wondering if Baucus is a good choice. He has made eight trips to China and has met with to Chinese leaders, but he is not considered a China hand. His strong suit is his extensive experience when it comes to trade issues.
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Washington has chosen veteran politician with little diplomatic experience
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Senator Max Baucus will soon take up post in Beijing, replacing Gary Locke
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Locke faced dramatic political crises but was popular among ordinary Chinese
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Baucus's Washington connections likely to be his biggest asset, analysts say
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His past trade successes involving @placeholder have also been noted.
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Curiously, the envoy's knowledge of @placeholder did not always equate to impact on policy-making.
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"The @placeholder loved Locke because he fulfilled the many dreams of Chinese who still saw the U.S. as a land of opportunity," said a former diplomat who worked for Locke.
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"The Chinese loved Locke because he fulfilled the many dreams of Chinese who still saw the U.S. as a land of opportunity," said a former diplomat who worked for @placeholder.
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The improvement significantly increased Chinese business and travel tourism to the U.S. "His primary target was making the potential of Chinese economic growth benefit the @placeholder people," the diplomat added.
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"He will have to keep @placeholder's interest piqued to keep the U.S.-China relationship as one of the more important bilateral relationships out there," said the former U.S. diplomat.
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Forty years in @placeholder, so he knows everyone," said Shen.
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"Locke was an outsider in @placeholder and that was his inherent disadvantage."
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Outgoing Locke suggests that @placeholder travel extensively, especially to small villages in remote areas.
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Some local netizens wonder whether the 72-year-old incoming envoy could bear @placeholder's pernicious heavy smog.