Washington » The question came in the Oval Office a week ago: Would Utah Gov. Jon Huntsman Jr. take on a crucial role as U.S. ambassador to China?

Huntsman, in Washington for the White House Correspondents Dinner, had been summoned by President Barack Obama for a quickly arranged meeting. It was a follow up to a phone conversation the two had on May 5, according to a senior administration official.

The president had been told by senior White House Asia advisor Jeff Bader, a friend of Huntsman, that the Utah governor was the "best qualified person for the job given his experience in the region, fluency in the language and culture, and knowledge of critical issues affecting the region," the official told The Salt Lake Tribune .

Although Huntsman is a Republican and a former co-chairman of Obama rival Sen. John McCain's campaign, Obama brought Huntsman and his wife, Mary Kaye, into a private meeting in the Oval Office and popped the question.

Huntsman, a former ambassador with deep roots in the GOP, "humbly" and officially accepted the role Saturday with his seven children, wife and parents standing beside him in the Diplomatic Room of the White House.

The governor said he was not looking for a new job after being elected to a second term in November, but said when the president calls, you answer.

"I grew up understanding the most basic responsibility one has, is service to country," Huntsman said. "When the president of the United States asks you to step up and serve in a capacity like this, that to me is the end of the conversation and the beginning of the obligation to rise to the challenge."

Friends say it was a tough choice for the governor, but the president convinced him by arguing the role was one of importance to world peace and a key assignment in bridging U.S.-China relations.

Huntsman, a rising GOP star, had been eyed as a potential 2012 contender against Obama as the governor had pushed his party to grow more moderate in the wake of devastating electoral losses. He backed civil unions for gay couples -- after supporting a state constitutional amendment banning same-sex marriage -- and actively pushed a regional cap-and-trade market for pollutants.

During the 2008 campaign, Huntsman repeatedly assured Utahns that he loved his job and would remain their chief executive if re-elected. It was, say those close to him, a point that made Huntsman agonize for weeks as administration officials sent feelers about a potential appointment.

"This is something that was very tough for him," his brother Peter Huntsman said Saturday after leaving the White House. "He feels very dedicated to fulfilling his role as governor. At the same time, look at the world's history, and the role that China plays in that, and it's immense."

The president and the governor share the same view of China, Peter Huntsman said. On just about every major international issue confronting America, "all roads kind of intersect through China."

The president said so himself Saturday.

"Given the breadth of issues at stake in our relationship with China, this ambassadorship is as important as any in the world," Obama said.

The president said there was "much to be gained by a closer, working relationship with China" and that he could think of no one better suited to take on this assignment than Huntsman.

"I hope the good people of Utah will forgive me and understand how proud they should be of their governor for his willingness to answer his nation's call," Obama said.

The Senate Foreign Relations Committee is expected to soon take up Huntsman's nomination; Huntsman has twice been confirmed by the Senate, once as U.S. ambassador to Singapore and as deputy U.S. trade ambassador.

The latter role helped solidify Huntsman as the choice for his new nomination.

The senior administration official said Bader, who worked with Huntsman when he was deputy trade ambassador, was impressed with Huntsman's "excellent" relations with his Asian counterparts.

Because Obama had told his staff he wanted to "think outside the box" with personnel decisions, Bader pushed for Huntsman, and subsequently reached out about a month ago to see if he was interested, the official said.

Rahm Emanuel, the president's chief of staff, called Huntsman two weeks later, and Obama phoned him on May 5. Huntsman talked it over with his family, and on May 9, in the Oval Office face-to-face, he accepted the job.

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, who shares the Mormon faith with Huntsman, had lobbied to a degree to get the Utah governor the posting as well. Reid, D-Nev., spoke with several senior administration officials, including Emanuel. On Saturday, the Democratic leader heralded the selection.

Reid "believes Huntsman is extremely well-qualified for the position," spokesman Jon Summers said.

The governor plans a news conference in Utah on Monday with Lt. Gov. Gary Herbert, who will assume the job if Huntsman is confirmed and resigns the Utah post, to lay out the details of the transition.

When Huntsman was appointed U.S. deputy trade representative by President George W. Bush in 2001, the confirmation process took about six weeks.

Before Saturday's news conference, the Huntsman family --including his father, billionaire philanthropist Jon Huntsman Sr., and mother, Karen -- waited in the adjacent room, coincidentally named the China Room for all its historic dishes. Upon the group's return there after the announcement, Jon Huntsman Sr. told the president how, when he served as an aide to President Richard M. Nixon, then-11-year-old Jon Huntsman Jr. had carried a bag for Secretary of State Henry Kissinger to a waiting helicopter.

Kissinger, it turns out, was embarking on the first high-level visit of a U.S. official to mainland China in decades, and the beginning of a new era of U.S.-Chinese relations.

The president, according to those present, then told Huntsman he would have the favor returned.

"When you leave," Obama reportedly said, "I'll get Doctor Kissinger to carry your bags to the plane."

tburr@sltrib.com