Utah governor and a son of businessman and philanthropist Jon Huntsman of Huntsman Corporation, Jon Meade Huntsman, Jr. said on Wednesday he is looking to expand tourism opportunities between his state and China.

Taking the mike at a press conference after a bulk of introduction and lavish praises from his host, the 46-year-old governor opened with the Chinese greeting 'Da jia hao' (hello), which drew thunderous applause from the audience.

"The state of Utah is immersed in white mountains and red valleys. The desert and mountains have given the state some marvelous scenery and there are five national parks in Utah. I welcome you all to pay a visit to my state and my warm-hearted citizens," the governor who calls himself 'lao you tiao' (slick, or sly) said in Chinese at the press conference.

Huntsman was heading a business delegation and launching a tourism publicity campaign in the hopes of extending cooperation in all fields between his state and China.

"I hope to expand tourism, economic and commerce cooperations between Utah and China and the person to person interaction between them," the governor said, without giving details.

According to statistics, the number of Chinese tourists that traveled abroad in the past year hit 31 million.

Huntsman, hailed as the only US governor who can speak Chinese, said he hopes "more and more tourists will fly to Utah for a visit and foster better communication between both cultures."

"China's GDP has seen a dramatic growth and so has the income of the Chinese people and Chinese people are capable of traveling to the US," the governor said.

Immediate reports on the prices of the China-Utah packages were not available.

The tourism industry has been labeled a 'peace ambassador' between the two world powers.

The China National Tourism Administration chief Liu Kezhi said at the press conference that China is the most populous country in the world with a total population of 1.3 billion and the number of the US population has risen to 300 million.

"There is great potential between the two countries," Liu said.

Tourism is a bridge for friendship and the bilateral exchange will foster the development of the China-US ties, according to Liu.

The official Chinese website for traveling to Utah www.utah-travel.cn was also unveiled at the press conference.

"In 2002, Utah held the winter Olympics to display its fantastic scenery and the warm hearts to the outside world. I believe that China will promote its centuries-old history and culture to the outside world in the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games," Huntsman said.

Huntsman became governor of Utah in 2004. He is a Republican, with fiscally conservative views and supports free trade. He is an outspoken advocate of Utah's strong role and potential on the global trade market, according to media reports.