Gov. Jon Huntsman Jr. said Thursday that his recent trade mission to China "was an opportunity to open a lot of eyes" to how important the country is to Utah's economy.

The governor told a group of about 60 members of the Salt Lake Kiwanis Club that the businesses and educational institutions participating in the weeklong trip to Beijing and Shanghai last October now "realize much of our future is going to be tied to China's future."

Huntsman, a former U.S. trade representative who negotiated agreements with China, has targeted China along with India, Mexico and Canada as the focus of his administration's economic development efforts.

Virtually cut off from much of the world before 1972, China has surpassed Mexico to become the United States' second largest trading partner behind Canada, Huntsman said, and there is just under $400 million in trade between Utah and China.

With more than 1.3 billion people and a rapidly growing middle class, China represents a vast market for Utah goods. Still, Huntsman said, anyone stepping outside China's major cities will encounter poverty. The country's average annual wage is only about $5,000.

Already, the country is the second largest consumer of the world's oil and has forged alliances with what the governor called "rogue elements" to ensure a steady supply, including Iran, Cuba and Venezuela.

China's relationship with Iran is especially troubling, Huntsman said, warning that "could very quickly emerge as an area of contention between China and the U.S.. ... if things get rough between the U.S. and Iran, all bets are off."

As far as human rights are concerned, the governor said Beijing's hosting the 2008 Summer Games has helped the Chinese government understand that any incidents could sully the country's image.

India is another huge market for Utah to tap, the governor told the group. With about a billion people, the world's largest middle class and, unlike China, a democratic system of government that recognizes the rule of law, he said India is "an emerging giant."

Huntsman and his wife, Mary Kaye, recently traveled to a remote community in western India to adopt a 13-month-old baby girl. The governor plans to return to India on a trade mission, possibly this fall.

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