China taunts Ambassador Gary Locke, calls him 'banana'

In this Thursday, Feb. 27, 2014, file photo, Gary Locke, the outgoing U.S. ambassador to China, leaves after a farewell news conference held at the U.S. Embassy in Beijing. A major Chinese government news service used a racist slur to describe Locke in a mean-spirited editorial on Friday that drew widespread public condemnation in China. less In this Thursday, Feb. 27, 2014, file photo, Gary Locke, the outgoing U.S. ambassador to China, leaves after a farewell news conference held at the U.S. Embassy in Beijing. A major Chinese government news ... more Photo: Ng Han Guan, AP Photo: Ng Han Guan, AP Image 1 of / 8 Caption Close China taunts Ambassador Gary Locke, calls him 'banana' 1 / 8 Back to Gallery

China seems pretty happy that former Washington Gov. Gary Locke is no longer the US ambassador to that country.

The New York Times reports that the state-run China News Service took a "parting shot" at Locke and, among other things, called him a "banana."

The term, considered offensive my many Asian-American, is used to slur someone as "yellow on the outside and white on the inside."

Locke left his post talking about the need for China to cool tensions with Japan and the importance of China's supporting human rights.

The Times says the news service wasn't impressed:

"Gary Locke is a U.S.-born, third-generation Chinese-American, and his being a banana — 'yellow skin and white heart' — became an advantage for Obama's foreign policy,'' opened the commentary, written by a person identified as Wang Ping...

"However," the commentary continued, "after a while, a banana will inevitably start to rot.''

Locke drew the scorn of the news service by going to such places as Tibet. It said he stirred "an evil wind" in such places.

Then there was this nugget:

"When Gary Locke arrived, the skies in Beijing became hazy. When he left, the skies suddenly became blue.''

Maybe the folks at the news service should look out the window at the heavy layers of smog. It's been so bad that even statues are wearing masks.

The South China Morning Post reports that Locke, who made quite a stir by flying coach, waiting in line for a cup of Starbucks and carrying his own bags, has been remembered fondly by many online in China. And some not so fondly

It notes:

The US embassy's release of air pollution data had further bolstered his image. "Gary Locke's biggest contribution was to tell the Chinese people what PM2.5 is, and also to tell Chinese ambassadors that they can fly economy class," television actor Sun Haiying wrote in a weibo post.

The US embassy has released measurements of smog-induced fine particles known as PM2.5 for years. Last year, Locke ordered thousands of air purifiers for his staff in China.

In a joke circulating on Sina Weibo, China's answer to Twitter, a journalist asks Locke: "China is your ancestral home, will you take home some of your ancestral home's soil?" Locke replies, "I am. I've filled my lungs with it."