Huntsman served as ambassador to China (2009-11), governor of Utah (2004-2009), and ambassador to Singapore (1992-93). Huntsman previously served as a White House staff assistant in the Reagan Administration, and as deputy assistant Secretary of Commerce, and deputy U.S. trade representative under George W. Bush. He was also an executive at the family-owned Huntsman Corporation.

Huntsman’s views on America’s role in the world appear to have been shaped by his time in public service and his missionary work. As a young man, he spent time in Taiwan as a Mormon missionary, where he learned to speak Mandarin Chinese and Taiwanese fluently. Throughout his public service career, Huntsman has been a strong advocate for trade and international economic engagement. As deputy U.S. trade representative, he worked on enhancing trade with the emerging markets of Asia and Africa saying, “When America closes its doors, so does everybody else.” Huntsman supports a strong bilateral relationship with China as necessary to confront global issues and has said that dialogue and economic engagement are important tools. At the same time, Huntsman has been critical of human rights abuses in China and believes the United States has an obligation to support human rights across the world.

At times, Huntsman has appeared to take a more cautionary stance on U.S. global engagement. “We’re at a point in time where increasingly we need to call a timeout and focus on rebuilding our core right here at home, because if we don’t get this right, we don’t have a foreign policy.” ¹ However, in a recent op-ed published in Politico, Huntsman called for more comprehensive engagement with the world, saying, “To protect American interests, we need to transform our foreign policy for the modern world. Simply advocating for more ships, more troops and more weapons isn’t a viable foreign policy. We need more agility, more intelligence and more economic engagement with the world.” ²

Huntsman on America’s Global Leadership

“There are certain areas that I would argue are in America’s interests and if they’re in America’s interest we get some return on that invested dollar. And I think we have– you know, it’s fair enough to say we have got to start with a zero based budget approach but let’s also be smart enough to say that we do as people get a certain return through foreign aid. We have to carefully identify what that return is, explain it to the American people. But to say we’re just going to wish it all away I think is a political sound bite.” (On Face the Nation, November 2011)³

“To protect American interests, we need to transform our foreign policy for the modern world. Simply advocating for more ships, more troops and more weapons isn’t a viable foreign policy. We need more agility, more intelligence and more economic engagement with the world.” (Op-ed in Politico, October 2011)⁴

“We’re at a point in time where increasingly we need to call a timeout and focus on rebuilding our core right here at home, because if we don’t get this right, we don’t have a foreign policy.” (Remarks at campaign event in New Hampshire, June 2011)⁵

“It’s a tribal state, and it always will be. Whether we like it or not, whenever we withdraw from Afghanistan, whether it’s now or years from now, we’ll have an incendiary situation… Should we stay and play traffic cop? I don’t think that serves our strategic interests.” (Interview with Esquire, June 2011)⁶

“Our foreign policy is only as good as our nation’s ability to project power.” (From campaign website)⁷

“As I prepare to step down as U.S. Ambassador to China, I leave this country more certain than ever before that there is no relationship anywhere in the world, that is so full of potential as this one- potential to do good if we focus our energies, potential to do harm if we let this opportunity pass us by. With the world in such desperate need for leadership, we should all set our sights ever higher. Working together, the U.S. and China should help relieve human suffering relief in regions of the world unreachable by others. We should strive to find cures for diseases like cancer and AIDS. We should lead the world in innovating clean energy technology that can create jobs while improving quality of life. Together, we should be lifting the world.” (Farewell speech as Ambassador to China, April 2011)⁸

“Global challenges will not pause to wait for upturns in our bilateral relationship; just the opposite — they will only worsen while we remain disengaged.” (Farewell Speech as Ambassador to China, April 2011)⁹

Huntsman on Diplomacy

“The United States will never stop supporting human rights because we believe in the fundamental struggle for human dignity and justice wherever it may occur.” (Farewell speech as Ambassador to China, April 2011)¹⁰

Huntsman on Trade

“But at the end of the day, we have got to find more market opening measures. We have got to get more governors from this country together with governors from provinces of China, mayors together with mayors, and exploit the opportunities that exist for exporters. That is a job creator in this country. It is a huge job creator. And we have to get used to the fact that as far as the eye can see into the 21st Century, it’s going to be the United States and China on the world stage.” (New Hampshire Debate, October 2011)¹¹ – Watch the video

“When America closes its doors, so does everybody else. We are the primary engine of growth in the world and we are the only beacon of free trade left, and open markets.” (Interview with Politico, February 2009)¹²

“I have witnessed first-hand that economic freedoms reinforce political freedoms. Promoting open markets promotes democratic values in those markets and enhances opportunities for American farmers, workers, entrepreneurs, and families.” (Senate Confirmation Hearing for USTR, August 2001)¹³

Videos

1. http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2011/06/03/politics/main20068856.shtml
2. http://www.politico.com/news/stories/1011/65386.html
3. http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-3460_162-57323817/face-the-nation-transcript-november-13-2011/?pageNum=5
4. http://www.politico.com/news/stories/1011/65386.html
5. http://cnsnews.com/news/article/huntsman-says-he-backs-houses-scolding-libya
6. http://www.esquire.com/features/jon-huntsman-profile-0811-3
7. http://jon2012.com/htv/Jun-19-2011/Strength-Home-Strength-Abroad
8. http://onebillionambitions.wordpress.com/2011/04/14/huntsman-disillusioned-and-disappointed-by-china/
9. http://shanghai.usembassy-china.org.cn/040611ambassador.html
10. http://onebillionambitions.wordpress.com/2011/04/14/huntsman-disillusioned-and-disappointed-by-china/
11. http://www.nationaljournal.com/2012-presidential-campaign/full-transcript-bloomberg-washington-post-gop-debate-in-n-h–20111011
12. http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0209/19181.html
13. http://info.hktdc.com/alert/us0117c.htm