Chinese Vice President Xi Jinping called Huntsman "an old friend of the Chinese people" who had made "unremitting efforts to promote the exchanges between our two people.
"Let me express out appreciation for your contributions. We will never forget what you have done," said Xi, who is expected to begin taking over from President Hu Jintao next year.
Xi's comments came during a meeting in Beijing with an unusually large delegation of 10 U.S. senators led by Majority Leader Harry Reid, which Huntsman also attended. The delegation is in China for talks with Chinese officials on topics from clean energy to human rights.