In late February, US President Obama appointed Gary Locke (Luo Jiahui) as the US secretary of commerce. The appointment has caused an excitement in China. The reasons are simple. First, the US and China are two of the world's biggest economies. In recent years they have enjoyed close trade relations. Now, with the global economic crisis, the Chinese are anxious to know who will be filling such an important management role in America's trade efforts. Then, there's an even more obvious reason: the 59yearold Gary Locke is a thirdgeneration ChineseAmerican. He served two terms, between 1997 and 2005, as governor of the state of Washington.  Along with Locke, Steven Chu (Zhu Diwen), the 1997 Nobel Prizewinning physicist was named secretary of energy. The two men are the most wellknown ChineseAmericans among Chinese people. Both will be dealing closely with China. Many Chinese are wondering whether the men's family and cultural backgrounds will affect US policies toward China. Among the most asked questions are: "will they be 'nicer' to China?" and "does their appointment mean that Obama will prioritize   China relations?"  They represent many firsts and unusual honours for the 3.6 million ChineseAmericans. People in the motherland are naturally proud of the achievements of these people who share their blood, skin color1 and family names. Both Chu and Locke have had experience working with the Chinese. This will probably help improve communication and understanding in the two countries' relations. However, some experts say that it may not be realistic to expect Chu and Locke to be more "Chinafriendly" than others in the Obama administration. They are, after all, American officials serving the American people. Especially on matters of national interest, they will most likely not hesitate to play the hard line and put pressure on China. What is the passage mainly about?
The appointment of a ChineseAmerican. Trade relations between China and the U.S. ChineseAmericans' recent achievement. Reactions of some Chinese to the appointments.