Mandarin-speaking Republican governor to be US ambassador to China

US President Barack Obama has nominated a Republican governor of Utah with strong ties to China as ambassador, signaling the importance of improving relations with China above bipartisan politics. Jon Huntsman Jr. is known to be an advocate of strong trade relations with China, and has talked about the need for the two countries to work together on environmental issues. In a message to Chinese leadership, Obama said that there are many issues which both countries have yet to agree upon and improving relations will require “candor and open discussion” so that “our nations play by the rules.” The current relationship between China is precarious for the US; China is one of the largest buyers of American debt, with a record US $767.9 billion.  Strained relations could see China pull out of its US Treasury bond purchases, causing Americans to feel serious hikes in interest rates. A former ambassador to Singapore, Hunstman has been described  as a “problem-solver, not a dogmatist”. The Utah governor’s family owns chemical company Hunstman Corp, which operates in China, and he has a daughter who was adopted from China.

Obama names Republican governor as envoy to China, Reuters

Potential Obama rival chosen as China envoy, The Washington Post

Obama taps Utah governor as China Ambassador, Wall Street Journal