Commerce Secretary Gary Locke resigns to become ambassador to China

Gary Locke formally resigned as Commerce Secretary to become the first Chinese-American to serve as U.S. ambassador to China.

The Senate confirmed Locke on July 27 after more than two years at the helm of the Commerce Department. He replaces Republican Jon Huntsman, who has entered the race for the Republican presidential nomination. Sec Locke previously served as governor of Washington for two terms. During his tenure at Commerce, Sec Locke has been primarily focused on boosting U.S. exports, particularly to emerging Asian powers China and India. He heads to Beijing at a time when concerns over the U.S. deficit have added tension to the increasingly intertwined economic relationship between the two nations.