THE CHINA READER

From today’s NY Times:

“President Obama on Saturday selected one of the nation’s leading Republican governors to serve as the ambassador to China, nominating Gov. Jon Huntsman Jr. of Utah for a diplomatic post that Mr. Obama called “as important as any in the world.” The decision renewed Mr. Obama’s sometimes rocky efforts to reach across the aisle in an era of political polarization while signaling that he would continue the American policy of economic and strategic engagement with China advanced by presidents of both parties in recent times.”

The pick was not surprising considering his China background and Mandarin skills, but somewhat noteworthy, as Huntsman Jr. is considered a right-of-center Republican from Utah.  Many had been critical of Obama’s long delay in choosing such an important post, considering how much is at stake in U.S.-China relations.  It’s good to see the pick has finally been made.

Posted on May 16th, 2009 under Politics, US-China Relations • RSS 2.0 feed • Leave a response, or trackback