Huntsman, who was re-elected last November, has said he would not seek a third term as governor and has been widely touted as a possible candidate for president in 2012. He already has made several trips to key GOP primary states.

Accepting the appointment likely means he'll put his presidential ambitions on hold until 2016, political pollster Dan Jones said.

"I really think he's wanted to be secretary of state or ambassador to China. He really feels like he can make a major difference," Jones said. "Maybe come 2012, people will feel the same way. Or 2016. If he's ambassador, he's not going to take on a sitting president."

The governor arrived in Washington, D.C. late Thursday, after spending a week in Israel on a Utah trade mission to Tel Aviv and Jerusalem. Roskelley said he had no meetings there other than the Saturday announcement.

Huntsman won't be the first Utah governor to leave office mid-term to accept a presidential appointment. Former Gov. Mike Leavitt left during his third term to become administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency under Bush in 2003.

But Huntsman had been a key supporter of Obama's GOP opponent in the 2008 presidential race, Arizona Sen. John McCain. He was rumored to have been considered as McCain's choice for vice president. Tim Bridgewater, McCain's Utah-based Western states coordinator, said Huntsman's knowledge of China was well-respected by both Bush and McCain. "Barack Obama would be well-served by someone who understands the importance of a strong free-market relationship between the U.S. and China," said Bridgewater, a recently announced candidate for U.S. Senate.

Past U.S. ambassadors to China include former President George H.W. Bush, who held the post in the mid-1970s.

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints issued a statement Saturday about Huntsman's appointment. "We warmly congratulate the Governor and wish him well in his new assignment," said church spokesman Scott Trotter.

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