Gov. Jon Huntsman Jr. was expected to attend a private dinner and reception in Washington, D.C., Thursday evening being held in honor of Chinese President Hu Jintao by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and the National Committee on U.S.-China Relations.

The governor and the first lady were to be seated at a table with Colin Powell, who served as U.S. secretary of state and as chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, a spokeswoman for Huntsman said.

Huntsman has dealt with China as a U.S. trade representative to Asia and speaks fluent Mandarin. Huntsman is also a former U.S. ambassador to Singapore and was reportedly considered in 2001 as a potential U.S. ambassador to China.