9th US ambassador to China: Jon M. Huntsman, Jr.

I know China also has strongly held views on certain issues that differ from ours, and it would be a mistake for us not to listen to their opinions and to try to understand the Chinese perspective.

Term of appointment: Aug 11, 2009 - April 30, 2011

China connections: Huntsman, whose Chinese name is "Hong Bopei," learned Mandarin when he was in Taiwan as a teenager. He also adopted a Chinese girl from Yangzhou, Jiangsu province.

Major issues: Huntsman was a candidate for the 2012 Republican presidential nomination but dropped out and endorsed front-runner Mitt Romney. His experience as a former deputy US trade representative overseeing Asia was also frequently mentioned in Beijing.