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Monday 18 May 2009
Obama sends strong message to Beijing with envoy’s appointment
US President Barack Obama’s choice for ambassador to China seems a natural fit for the job - he speaks fluent Putonghua, has adopted a child from China and has served as an ambassador in Asia.
Obama sends strong message to Beijing with envoy’s appointment
Reuters and Associated Press in Washington 18 May 2009
US President Barack Obama’s choice for ambassador to China seems a natural fit for the job - he speaks fluent Putonghua, has adopted a child from China and has served as an ambassador in Asia.
Jon Huntsman, 49, governor of Utah and a former US trade official with deep personal and family business ties to China, takes on a delicate diplomatic role with a vital trading partner and one of the biggest sources of financing for the growing US government debt.
“This ambassadorship is as important as any in the world because the United States will best be able to deal effectively with the global challenges of the 21st century by working in concert with China,” Mr. Obama said.
But he also used his nomination of Mr. Huntsman, a former ambassador to Singapore who was co-chairman of Senator John McCain’s presidential campaign and has been mentioned as a potential Republican presidential candidate in 2012, to send a message to Beijing.
“Improved relations with China will require candour and open discussion about those issues where we don’t always agree, such as human rights and democracy and free speech, and will require that each of our nations play by the rules in open and honest competition,” Mr. Obama said.
Mr. Huntsman is the son of billionaire philanthropist Jon Huntsman, and his family founded chemical company Huntsman Corp, which has operations in China, including a factory in Shanghai. One of Mr. Huntsman’s seven children, daughter Gracie Mei, was adopted from China.
Mr. Huntsman quoted a Chinese aphorism as he accepted the nomination, which he translated as: “Together we work, together we progress.”
“This, more than anything else, I think, captures the spirit of our journey going forward,” he said.
A senior administration official said Mr. Huntsman was seen as a problem-solver rather than a dogmatist, and called him a “no drama Obama type” who was fluent in the language and culture and well versed in critical issues affecting the region.
Eswar Prasad, a senior fellow at the Brookings Institute, said Mr. Huntsman’s diplomatic skills “will be tested to the limit as there are many potential sources of conflict between China and the US, especially on trade, currency and environmental policies”.
“Once the world economy stabilises and the worst of the crisis is behind us, these simmering tensions will come bubbling back to the surface,” he added.
Mr. Obama, like his predecessor, George W. Bush, has been mostly low key in any criticism of China’s human rights record.
Mr. Huntsman made a name for himself in Utah by advocating a moderate agenda in one of the most conservative states. He drew the most attention for supporting civil unions, despite backing a state constitutional amendment banning same-sex marriage that passed in 2004.
Before becoming governor in 2005, Mr. Huntsman made millions as head of Huntsman Corp, a global chemical manufacturer with more than 12,000 employees. Revenues last year exceeded US$10 billion.
Mr. Huntsman served as deputy trade representative in the Bush administration from 2001 to 2004, and was ambassador to Singapore from 1992 to 1994, appointed by Mr. Bush’s father.
Mr. Huntsman dropped out of high school to play in a rock band, and spends his spare time playing in a band and mountain biking.
He also rides a motorcycle and is a fan of motocross.
His appointment, which requires Senate approval, gives him a chance to burnish his credentials and position himself as a viable presidential contender in 2016, if Mr. Obama appears to be a strong candidate for a second term in 2012.
Mr. Huntsman will be 56 in 2016, still young enough to handle the rigours of a national campaign.
Republican strategists say serving as US envoy to China will improve Mr. Huntsman’s reputation.
LaVarr Webb, a Republican strategist in Utah, said the appointment was a plus for Mr. Huntsman.
“Clearly Governor Huntsman does have major political ambitions, and serving as ambassador to China certainly gives him foreign policy credentials,” Mr. Webb said.
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Obama sends strong message to Beijing with envoy’s appointment
Reuters and Associated Press in Washington
18 May 2009
US President Barack Obama’s choice for ambassador to China seems a natural fit for the job - he speaks fluent Putonghua, has adopted a child from China and has served as an ambassador in Asia.
Jon Huntsman, 49, governor of Utah and a former US trade official with deep personal and family business ties to China, takes on a delicate diplomatic role with a vital trading partner and one of the biggest sources of financing for the growing US government debt.
“This ambassadorship is as important as any in the world because the United States will best be able to deal effectively with the global challenges of the 21st century by working in concert with China,” Mr. Obama said.
But he also used his nomination of Mr. Huntsman, a former ambassador to Singapore who was co-chairman of Senator John McCain’s presidential campaign and has been mentioned as a potential Republican presidential candidate in 2012, to send a message to Beijing.
“Improved relations with China will require candour and open discussion about those issues where we don’t always agree, such as human rights and democracy and free speech, and will require that each of our nations play by the rules in open and honest competition,” Mr. Obama said.
Mr. Huntsman is the son of billionaire philanthropist Jon Huntsman, and his family founded chemical company Huntsman Corp, which has operations in China, including a factory in Shanghai. One of Mr. Huntsman’s seven children, daughter Gracie Mei, was adopted from China.
Mr. Huntsman quoted a Chinese aphorism as he accepted the nomination, which he translated as: “Together we work, together we progress.”
“This, more than anything else, I think, captures the spirit of our journey going forward,” he said.
A senior administration official said Mr. Huntsman was seen as a problem-solver rather than a dogmatist, and called him a “no drama Obama type” who was fluent in the language and culture and well versed in critical issues affecting the region.
Eswar Prasad, a senior fellow at the Brookings Institute, said Mr. Huntsman’s diplomatic skills “will be tested to the limit as there are many potential sources of conflict between China and the US, especially on trade, currency and environmental policies”.
“Once the world economy stabilises and the worst of the crisis is behind us, these simmering tensions will come bubbling back to the surface,” he added.
Mr. Obama, like his predecessor, George W. Bush, has been mostly low key in any criticism of China’s human rights record.
Mr. Huntsman made a name for himself in Utah by advocating a moderate agenda in one of the most conservative states. He drew the most attention for supporting civil unions, despite backing a state constitutional amendment banning same-sex marriage that passed in 2004.
Before becoming governor in 2005, Mr. Huntsman made millions as head of Huntsman Corp, a global chemical manufacturer with more than 12,000 employees. Revenues last year exceeded US$10 billion.
Mr. Huntsman served as deputy trade representative in the Bush administration from 2001 to 2004, and was ambassador to Singapore from 1992 to 1994, appointed by Mr. Bush’s father.
Mr. Huntsman dropped out of high school to play in a rock band, and spends his spare time playing in a band and mountain biking.
He also rides a motorcycle and is a fan of motocross.
His appointment, which requires Senate approval, gives him a chance to burnish his credentials and position himself as a viable presidential contender in 2016, if Mr. Obama appears to be a strong candidate for a second term in 2012.
Mr. Huntsman will be 56 in 2016, still young enough to handle the rigours of a national campaign.
Republican strategists say serving as US envoy to China will improve Mr. Huntsman’s reputation.
LaVarr Webb, a Republican strategist in Utah, said the appointment was a plus for Mr. Huntsman.
“Clearly Governor Huntsman does have major political ambitions, and serving as ambassador to China certainly gives him foreign policy credentials,” Mr. Webb said.
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