Huntsman taking on role vital to globe

For more than 30 years, statesmen of China and the United States have debated and bartered, working to develop a mutual understanding of one another so both could prosper. The responsibility to continue this tradition may soon be Utah Gov. Jon Huntsman Jr.'s.

In announcing Huntsman as his choice as U.S. ambassador to China, President Barack Obama on Saturday noted the significance of the post given the breadth of issues both countries face, including such challenges as the global financial crisis, energy and climate change, nuclear nonproliferation and public health. Dignitaries of both countries have publicly stated that cooperation is the means to success; Huntsman will represent half of the equation, observers said Sunday.

"The appointment of Huntsman to this post shows the importance and seriousness of relations between China and the U.S." said Steve Lobell, an associate professor in the political science department at the University of Utah. "He knows the language, the region and the commerce, and he shows how serious Obama is with this relationship."

Huntsman is a "great choice," Clark Randt, who stepped down in January as the longest-serving U.S. ambassador to China after being appointed by President George W. Bush in 2001, told Bloomberg News Sunday. "He speaks Chinese, understands China, has expertise on our bilateral trade issues from his time at USTR (United States Trade Representative) and executive and ambassadorial experience."

In his acceptance Saturday at the White House, Huntsman, 49, who is fluent in Mandarin, said he is committed to taking the relationship of China and the U.S. to new heights and quoted a Chinese aphorism to articulate his hopes, "Together we work, together we progress."

Yet, the two nations have divergent views. Obama noted in his announcement that candor and open dissuasion would be necessary to move toward cooperation in issues regarding human rights, democracy and free speech. Reasons, he says, this ambassadorship merits such importance globally.

However, during a Dec. 11, 2008, dinner celebration in Beijing marking the 30th anniversary of the establishment of China-U.S. diplomatic relations, State Councilor for the People's Republic of China, Dai Bingguo, said the two countries must adhere to a practice of noninterference in each other's internal affairs, according to transcripts of his address.

"We must respect and accommodate each other's core interests and major concerns, and fully appreciate and respect each other's choice of political system and development model," Bingguo said. "In particular, we must handle properly the Taiwan question, the most important and sensitive issue in our bilateral relations."