Washington » Without a hint of opposition, the Senate confirmed Utah Gov. Jon Huntsman Jr. on Friday as U.S. ambassador to China, clearing the way for his second in command, Gary Herbert, to assume the governorship and for Huntsman to head east as the nation's emissary to a crucial economic partner.
The Senate's approval caps what has been a three-month political saga that began when President Barack Obama, a Democrat, tapped the Republican governor -- then a potential 2012 rival -- in a highly publicized White House event.
Huntsman plans to resign as governor Tuesday, the same day Herbert will take the oath of office during an inauguration ceremony at the Utah Capitol. By the end of next week, Huntsman is expected to take his own ambassador's oath and move to Beijing, although details still were being worked out.
China officially will recognize him as an ambassador once he meets with Chinese President Hu Jintao and presents his credentials.
"This is an important time in our nation's relationship with China," Huntsman said in a statement Friday. "I appreciate he confidence of the Senate and the president to represent our country."
Utah Republican Sens. Bob Bennett and Orrin Hatch heralded the Senate's action.
"I'm pleased to see his confirmation go through without any opposition," Bennett said. "This speaks highly of his character and of his competency to strengthen relations between China and the United States during this important time in our history."
Hatch said he expects "great things from now -Ambassador Huntsman," particularly in light of China's increasing role in international affairs.
The Senate Foreign Relations Committee advanced Huntsman's nomination Tuesday. Several senators on the panel praised Huntsman as an experienced diplomat whose skills would be crucial as the envoy to China, an emerging superpower.
Huntsman has served as the U.S. ambassador to Singapore and as the deputy U.S. trade representative. He is fluent in Mandarin Chinese, understand its traditions and has an adopted Chinese daughter, Gracie Mei, 9.
While he respects China, Huntsman told senators during his confirmation hearing that he wouldn't shy away from pushing U.S. interests there, even when it would be uncomfortable.
"I am a hardheaded realist," he said, "about what it is going to take to manage this relationship."
Huntsman will be responsible for strengthening ties between two nations that have eyed each other with suspicion throughout the years, yet have found their economies inexorably linked. But his tasks will stretch far beyond easing Chinese concerns about the dollar, pushing U.S. imports or urging Beijing to increase the value of its currency.
The new ambassador's agenda will include everything from climate change to military transparency, human rights to North Korea.
One of his first tasks will be planning Obama's visit to China, which will take place later this year.
The president has said the relationship between China and the United States will be "central to the 21st century," because of the might of the two nations and their abilities to greatly affect such issues as climate change, terrorism and the global economic crisis. He asked his staff to think outside the box when it came to filling the ambassadorship, and a senior White House official said Huntsman's name repeatedly popped up in discussions, leading to his May 16 nomination.
The move surprised many political observers. Huntsman was a co-chairman of the 2008 presidential bid made by Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz. The second-term Utah governor had been quietly setting up his own potential run for the White House and, just a few months ago, he won re-election by the widest margin in Utah history.
His new job in Beijing will shelve, for now, his future political ambitions, but depending on how he performs in the job, many expect he will re-emerge on the national stage.
Huntsman will move to Beijing in the next few weeks with his wife, Mary Kaye, and his two youngest daughters, both of whom are adopted. His youngest son, Will, plans to live part time in Beijing and part time in Utah so he can play high school football.
"Serving the people of Utah has been our family's greatest honor," Huntsman said Friday. "I thank the citizens for their continued support."
Gov. Jon Huntsman Jr. is expected to resign his state post Tuesday during the same Utah Capitol ceremony in which Lt. Gov. Gary Herbert will take the governor's oath.
Before the end of next week, Huntsman is expected to take his own ambassador's oath, most likely administered by a judge in Utah, and leave for Beijing.
Once sworn in to new his post, outgoing Utah Gov. Jon Huntsman Jr. will have a much longer title: Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the United States of America to the People's Republic of China. Or, per protocol, you can call him simply, Mr. Ambassador.
