Obama’s Man in Beijing

Walter Lohman /

It is nice that the President is reaching across the aisle for an Ambassador to the People’s Republic of China. Foreign policy should be bi-partisan. It is a demonstration to the Chinese that there is more that unites Americans than divides us. The selection of Utah Governor Jon Huntsman Jr., a businessman and free trader, will also send a positive signal regarding the central importance of truly free markets in our interaction with the Chinese. Of course, from the President’s perspective, choosing a Republican is probably also an effort to reserve political squabbling for issues more central to his agenda.

But the person is only part of the equation, and not the most important part. What matters most are the principles Ambassador Huntsman packs for the trip.

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