Utah governor picked as China envoy

UPDATED:

President Obama Saturday named Republican Gov. Jon Huntsman Jr. of Utah to be his ambassador to China, bolstering the White House’s bipartisan credentials and sweeping a potential 2012 rival out of the running.

Mr. Obama said his pick will be able to push a “new era of partnership between our two nations,” speaking from the Diplomatic Room Saturday morning on a day when nothing had been planned.

Mr. Huntsman, who speaks fluent Mandarin Chinese, has significant foreign affairs experience — serving as deputy U.S. trade ambassador during President George W. Bush’s administration and becoming the youngest U.S. ambassador in a century in 1992 when President George H.W. Bush named him ambassador to Singapore.

Mr. Obama said Mr. Huntsman has “respect for China’s proud traditions” and “understands what it will take to make America more competitive in the 21st century.”

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The governor, 49, also was attracting attention for challenging his party and for offering a new way of doing political business, sparking some to say he should consider a run for president in 2012 when Mr. Obama is up for reelection. He was elected in 2004 and reelected last fall with 77 percent of the vote.

“I never expected to be standing here,” the Republican said, mentioning that he was a national co-chair for Mr. Obama’s 2008 presidential rival Sen. John McCain.

“The most basic responsibility one has is service to country,” Mr. Huntsman said. “I wasn’t looking for a new job in life but a call from the president changed that.”

The hastily arranged ceremony also gave the White House an opportunity to change the conversation as Mr. Obama was getting criticized for changing his position on releasing photos of torture and for embracing military commissions for detainees.

The White House said Mr. Obama “believes we will need to continue to work with China to stem the financial crisis and help lay a foundation for sustainable growth and lasting prosperity for people on both sides of the Pacific.”

Mr. Huntsman and his wife, Mary Kaye, have seven children, including two adopted daughters from China and India.

He also served as Deputy Assistant Secretary of Commerce in the Trade Development Bureau from 1989 to 1990 and Deputy Assistant Secretary of Commerce for East Asia and the Pacific. He also worked in President Reagan’s administration.

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