- Veteran diplomat Nicholas Burns has been nominated as U.S. Ambassador to China.
- Burns is a retired foreign service officer and former U.S. Ambassador to NATO and Greece.
- The post of ambassador has remained vacant since October, after former President Trump’s choice, Terry Branstad, stepped down.
WASHINGTON D.C.: Veteran diplomat Nicholas Burns, formerly Under-Secretary of State from 2005 to 2008 under President George W. Bush, has been nominated to become U.S. Ambassador to China.
Burns, a retired foreign service officer and former U.S. Ambassador to NATO and Greece, will be a change from current nominees to China, as he is a career professional, and not a politician.
The post of ambassador has remained vacant since October, after former President Trump’s choice, Terry Branstad, stepped down.
Relations between the United States and China are at their lowest in decades. The U.S. and China are at odds over issues, such as trade, coronavirus, Taiwan, and China’s military activities in the South China Sea.
Commenting on his return to public service, Burns said, if confirmed by the Senate, he would work on “the strategic competition between the U.S. and the China, as well as other difficult and complex challenges.”
Burns is not considered a China policy specialist.
Choosing Burns suggests the White House is seeking a new model of communication with Beijing, said Evan Medeiros, who was an Asia specialist in the Obama administration.
“The US Ambassador could return to serving as both a messenger to and a sounding board for Chinese officials,” said former official James Green, adding that the Biden administration would benefit from Burns’ “intimate understanding of foreign policy bureaucracy.”
The Trump administration had anticipated that former Iowa Governor Branstad would build ties with Chinese officials. Instead, the two countries descended into an unprecedented trade war.
