Washington • U.S. ambassador to China Jon Huntsman Jr. was captured on video at a protest rally in Beijing, fueling speculation that the United States was siding with the pro-democracy effort.
But the State Department quickly tried to tamp down the story, noting that Huntsman, Utah’s former governor, was merely walking through the popular shopping area.
Video shot by an unnamed person shows Huntsman and a glimpse of his wife, Mary Kaye, at a crowded rally in a shopping district near Tiananmen Square.
Huntsman, wearing what appears to be a leather jacket with an American flag patch on his shoulder, is shown standing outside a McDonald’s in Beijing.
“Excuse me, ambassador, what are you doing here,” the cameraman asks, according to a translation posted on a YouTube video of the incident.
“I’m just here to look around,” Huntsman responds.
“So you want China in chaos, don’t you?” the man suggests.
“Nah,” Huntsman appears to say. “You guys don’t know me. Really?”