WASHINGTON: US Diplomat Veteran Nicholas Burns has been nominated by President Joe Biden to serve as a US ambassador to China, the White House said on Friday, indicating the administration can look for envoys to play a more central role in the relationship is increasingly offended between two global rivals.
Choice of Burns, a retired foreign service career officer who served as under the Secretary of State between 2005 and 2008, a sign of shift for the role of the Ambassador to Beijing, the ranks of the past decade have been filled with former politicians, inexperienced diplomats.
If confirmed by the Senate, burns will go to China as the relationship between the two countries is at the lowest point in a few decades, and fill the left post empty since October, after the envoy of former President Donald Trump to China, Terry Branstad, resigned.
The United States and China, currently No.
1 and No.
2 of the world economy, have disageable about issues including trade, technology, sales of US weapons to Taiwan and Chinese military activities in the Sea Seawater, with each other accusing the other behavior deliberately provocative.
While burns are not seen as a Chinese policy specialist, both the previous four US ambassadors to Beijing.
Burns, however, have a relationship with Biden, after serving as an advisor to his election campaign, and has worked together for years with some of the most trusted Biden advisers, including foreign ministers Antony Blinken.
Former Republican President George W.
Bush appointed him as deputy minister for political affairs, historically the third department of the Foreign State Official, with global responsibility, where he served until 2008.