Locke to rebuild US reputation

BEIJING - Rebuilding the financial reputation of the United States will be Gary Locke's top priority when he arrives in Beijing on Friday as the US ambassador to China, experts said.

"Amid the concerns over the gloomy economic future of the US, it is Locke's responsibility to relieve the anxiety in China toward US debt after the downgrade of US government credit rating," said Zhou Qi, a researcher at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences.

US stocks continued to be volatile on Wednesday, closing down more than 500 points. The market's rollercoaster ride started Monday after Standard & Poor's downgraded the US rating from AAA to AA+ on Friday.