Huntsman pleased with Obama in China

U.S. Ambassador to China Jon Huntsman Jr. said Tuesday that he's "very, very proud" of how President Barack Obama is pushing human rights and handling all other major issues with Chinese leaders during his current visit there.

Huntsman, the former Utah governor, told reporters in a briefing in Beijing that Obama "was extremely forceful and comprehensive in hitting on every one of the major issues that we try to manage in our bilateral relationship."

He added, "There wasn't a single issue that was left out. And I've got to tell you that as one observer and someone who takes this relationship seriously, as the on-site manager, I was very, very proud of our president."

Huntsman said that China and the United States really are the "only two countries in the world that together can solve certain issues, whether they are clean energy, climate changes, regional security, or those dealing with the global economy."

Huntsman added that he has been impressed at how Obama has been dealing with them, and how the administration has been trying to "connect with the Chinese bureaucracy in ways that actually allow us to get traction. ... There was a good level of connection with all of the counterparts."

For example, Obama said that for the first time ever, the two countries were agreeing on steps that should be taken with North Korea, Pakistan, Afghanistan and some global economic issues.

Huntsman said he has been impressed especially with Obama's ability in meetings both large and small to describe "what make us unique as a country," and to use that to explain why respecting human rights is important and beneficial.

He said Obama "explains what makes us unique and why we feel strongly about individual liberty and freedom — that's important. And I thought those comments were well-taken."

Huntsman added that he has been impressed with the questions that Obama has been asking while in China to give him a good view of conditions and possibilities there.

"They're all the questions that would be on … a president's mind: What do you think about jobs? What do you do about migration of workers? What do you do about infrastructure? What do you do about transportation?

"And I noticed that the questions he asked were right on. And I could tell through the conversations over lunch and dinner, they were very important tutorials to hear from some of the most important decision-makers on site about what makes this country run," Huntsman said.