White House: US envoy to leave China post

US ambassador to China Jon Huntsman, a Republican with potential presidential ambitions, has advised officials that he intends to leave the post during the first part of this year, the White House said Monday.

Huntsman, a former governor of Utah, was appointed ambassador by President Barack Obama in 2009. Huntsman's plans have generated considerable attention in political circles because his foreign policy experience could stand out in a crowded Republican field. (AP)