Former Washington state governor and current Commerce Secretary Gary Locke fielded questions from the US Senate Foreign Relations Committee yesterday at a hearing on his nomination to Ambassador to China. But, as the Seattle Times reports, the committee hardly asked Locke any questions at all, but instead turned the hearing "into a referendum on a lengthy list of American grievances against the People's Republic of China."

Committee chair Sen. John Kerry (D-MA) described Locke's upbringing and career as "quintessentially American" before launching into a critique of China's economic and human rights deficiencies. Kerry said "Beijing can step up, and can shoulder more of the responsibility that comes with its growing power." More from the Times:

For instance, Kerry and Sens. Jim Webb, D-Va., and James Risch, R-Idaho, all accused China of double talk on North Korea. China officially supports a nuclear-free North Korea and United Nations' sanctions against that country. At the same time, China is fending off charges in a new U.N. report that it helped funnel banned shipments of ballistic missiles and technology from North Korea to the Middle East.

"Despite these public affirmations of being with us ... the methods (China adopts) and even the enforcement often takes a very different track," Kerry said.

Sen. Richard Lugar, of Indiana, the panel's top Republican, contended that China was regressing in political and religious freedom, censoring and detaining human-rights activists and other dissidents.

Economic disputes between the two nations will likely swamp most of Locke's time as ambassador, with growing resentment in congress and around the country towards China's continued manipulation of its currency.

If Locke's confirmation goes through (likely next week), he will be the first Chinese American to hold the post. You can watch the hearing, here.