Obama names Utah governor as China envoy

By Cai Hong in Washington and Zhang Xin in Beijing | China Daily | Updated: 2009-05-18 07:41

US President Barack Obama chats with Utah Governor Jon Huntsman, whom he nominated as the next US ambassador to China, at the White House on Saturday. AFP

US President Barack Obama has nominated Utah governor Jon Huntsman, a Republican and a fluent Chinese speaker, as ambassador to China.

"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," Obama said at the White House ceremony on Saturday with Huntsman standing beside him.