New US envoy hits ground running

US Ambassador to China Max Baucus smiles in front of a Chinese national flag during a news conference at the US Embassy, upon his arrival to his new post, in Beijing, March 18, 2014. [Photo/Agencies]

Sound bites

"For more than two decades Max Baucus has worked to deepen the relationship between the United States and China. The economic agreements he helped forge have created millions of American jobs and added billions of dollars to our economy, and he's perfectly suited to build on that progress in his new role. "

- US President Barack Obama

"We welcome Max Baucus, the new US ambassador to China, as he takes up his post in Beijing and hope that he will be able to help develop relations between China and US through his experience and contacts. "

- Chinese Ambassador to the United States Cui Tiankai

"I would advise him simply to travel as much as he can throughout China, to really understand that Beijing does not represent all of China."

- Gary Locke, former US ambassador to China

"Although Max Baucus is not extremely well known in popular American lore like Caroline Kennedy, nor is he a China specialist, he is a retiring senior senator with substantial interest and experience in trade and foreign policy issues. Moreover, his long experience in the Senate and Democratic Party politics should give him both the ear of the president and clout with the Congress, which is important."

- Orville Schell, Arthur Ross director of the Center on US-China Relations at the Asia Society

 

Voices from foreign media

Though Max Baucus is not considered a China hand, his strong suit is his extensive experience in trade issues as he played a pivotal role in China's joining the World Trade Organization. And one of his strengths compared with Gary Locke is his relationships on Capitol Hill and among the Washington elite. This will help keep Obama and US policymakers focused on China as they are distracted by myriad domestic and global issues.

- CNN

Max Baucus is a leading Democratic trade advocate. During the 1990s, he fought Democratic Party colleagues to keep China's most favored nation status that allowed China to receive equal trade advantages.

- New York Times

With established political stature, Max Baucus is the person the White House wants to install in Beijing after the other top post in East Asia, the ambassador to Japan, was filled by an Obama fundraiser and Asia neophyte, Caroline Kennedy.

- Los Angeles Times