Will Baucus become the next U.S. ambassador to China?
| WASHINGTON
U.S. Senator聽Max Baucus, a聽Montana聽Democrat who has taken a tough stance against some of聽China's trade practices, will be nominated by President Barack Obama to be the next ambassador to聽Beijing, according to聽Senate聽aides.
Baucus, who announced earlier this year his intention to retire from the聽Senate聽at the end of next year, currently chairs the powerful聽Senate Finance Committee, which oversees tax and trade policy. He was first elected to the聽Senate聽in 1978.
Obama's choice of the 72-year-old Baucus聽to be ambassador to聽China聽must be confirmed by the聽Senate. The chamber is not expected to consider the nomination until early next year.
In July, Baucus聽and three other influential members of聽Congress聽wrote Obama to urge him to press聽China聽to halt the theft of intellectual property and to curb practices that discriminate against U.S. companies.
A Democratic official, who asked not to be identified, noted that Baucus聽led the successful U.S. effort in the 1990s to admit聽China聽into the聽World Trade Organization聽in 2001 and to begin normal bilateral trade relations with the emerging economy.
The nomination, which has not yet been announced by the聽White House, comes as relations between the聽United States聽and聽China聽are straining due to territorial disputes in the East聽China聽Sea and聽South China聽Sea.
A U.S. guided missile cruiser, USS Cowpens, and a Chinese warship operating near聽China's only aircraft carrier, the Liaoning, narrowly avoided collision last week in the most significant U.S.-China聽maritime incident in the聽South China聽Sea since 2009.
The near miss followed聽China's recent announcement of an air defense zone covering disputed islands in the聽East China聽Sea, which upset U.S. allies聽Japan聽and聽South Korea.
In other issues,聽Beijing聽complains that a U.S. strategic policy shift known as the "pivot to聽Asia" is an attempt to constrain its growing military and political power in the region, while Washington often accuses聽China聽of stealing U.S. government and company secrets via cyber theft.
A senior聽Senate聽aide said that under聽Montana聽law, Democratic Governor聽Steve Bullock聽will appoint a replacement for Baucus聽if he becomes ambassador to聽China.
Democrats currently hold 53聽Senate聽seats and two independents regularly vote with them. There are 45 Republicans in the聽Senate聽and if Bullock appoints a Democratic replacement, it would not change the balance of power in the chamber.
Spokesmen for Bullock, who is expected to appoint a Democrat, were not available for comment.
Details were not yet available on whether the replacement would serve through 2014. Baucus' Senate聽seat was already up for election in November 2014.
Whoever is picked by Bullock would have an advantage going into next year's election, assuming that person wanted to seek a full term in the聽Senate. Republicans have set their sights on the聽Montana聽seat in their drive to win majority control of the聽Senate聽in the 2014 elections.
As chairman of the聽Finance Committee, Baucus聽was a major force in the writing of Obama's landmark healthcare reform law that was enacted in 2010.
In recent years, Baucus聽also has been working on comprehensive reform of the outdated U.S. tax code. But with聽Congress聽so divided over how to revamp the complicated law, odds of passing such major legislation in the 2014 election year were seen as slim.
Assuming Baucus聽leaves the Senate early next year to move to聽Beijing, Democratic Senator聽Ron Wyden聽of聽Oregon聽could become the next chairman of the聽Finance Committee.
(Additional reporting by Roberta Rampton; Editing by G Crosse, Leslie Adler and Dan Grebler)
