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US envoy carries promise of better bilateral relations

By Cai Hong in Washington and Zhang Haizhou in Beijing (China Daily)
Updated: 2009-07-25 08:41

Jon Huntsman has the potential to improve Sino-US relations, Chinese experts said on Friday after the Utah governor appeared before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee for a confirmation hearing as the US ambassador to China.

The experts on American studies, however, said the going might not be entirely smooth, and warned of possible conflicts on issues such as human rights and climate change.

Pang Zhongying, of the Renmin University of China, said the US Senate would certainly confirm Huntsman's appointment because it represents the bipartisanship in Barack Obama's foreign policy.

"Choosing a Republican for the post reflects continuity in the US government's China policy," Pang said. But Huntsman is likely to face a Sino-US relationship that goes beyond "geo-political traditions or economic ties", even though "Washington will continue to see Beijing as its long-term competitor".

Huntsman's priority will be to seek China's "active cooperation" in the fight against the global economic crisis and climate change, said Zhou Qi, director of American politics' section of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences (CASS).

The US has been pressuring China to agree to specific carbon emission cuts, but Beijing insists on the UN principle of common but differentiated responsibilities, she said.

Huntsman wishes China was more transparent with its military policy, said Fan Jishe, also of the CASS. That means the US thinks China could pose a threat to its hegemony, Fan said.

In Washington, John Kerry, chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, said in his opening statement: "In a previous era, we might have said that nominating the governor of Utah to serve as ambassador to China meant sending him from one red state to another - although they would have been very different shades of red. But today's China is a very different China."

"Governor Huntsman's selection is a great sign that the US-China relationship is above politics," Kerry said.

The committee will send Huntsman's name to the full Senate, which has to confirm his appointment through a vote before Congress begins its summer recess on Aug 7. But if the full Senate doesn't vote by then, his appointment could be delayed till early September.

Committee members on Friday questioned Huntsman on issues such as bilateral trade, the Chinese currency, human rights, religion and climate change.

The pressure is already on him, Kerry said. "I urge (him) to apply his formidable talent to building America's partnership with China on climate change."

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The Utah governor told the committee that he would try to maximize bilateral cooperation.

Huntsman appears to be a near perfect choice for the post. He speaks fluent Putonghua, and, as Utah Senator Bob Bennett put it, can teach Chinese at the college level. He has served as ambassador to Singapore and led US trade delegations to China.

He served a two-year LDS Church mission to Taiwan and adopted a daughter from the mainland.

Huntsman answered the spate of questions from the committee while sticking to the Obama administration's stated policy positions.

He promised not to back away from diplomatically sensitive issues, and vowed to "regularize" the way the US talks to China about human rights.