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Laura Zhou

US President Donald Trump has nominated Michael DeSombre, a former ambassador to Thailand, as his top diplomat for Asian affairs – a move that is expected to be welcomed in Beijing.
Trump said on Tuesday he had selected DeSombre to be assistant secretary of state for East Asia and the Pacific, an appointment that will require confirmation by the Senate.
DeSombre, who spent two decades in Hong Kong as a mergers and acquisitions lawyer, “did a great job” as the ambassador to Bangkok, Trump wrote on social media.
He added: “I know Michael will work incredibly hard for our country. Congratulations Michael!”
DeSombre thanked Trump for the nomination, saying he was “honoured”.
If confirmed he will take charge of Washington’s foreign policy for East Asia and will oversee the Office of China Coordination.
The office, informally known as China House, was established in December 2022 as the centrepiece of the previous administration’s diplomatic strategy in the global rivalry with China.
The job of assistant secretary has often been filled by career diplomats, but Trump’s pick reflects his preference for loyalists, according to Wang Yiwei, a professor of international relations at Renmin University in Beijing.


Earlier, Trump also nominated businessman and former senator David Perdue as the next US ambassador to China.
Wang said the US president was “veering away” from conventional picks.
“Trump wants loyalty, and he wants to be in charge of making foreign policy, rather than simply giving a speech or signing some documents, and the foreign policy needs to reflect Trump’s will,” Wang added.
“So from the point of view of Trump’s emphasis on ties with China and his preference for the transactional approach, the nominations are strongly in Trump’s style.”
He added that these picks “would be helpful to bilateral ties between China and the US” – particularly when trying to arrange a summit between the leaders – and said he thought “this should be welcomed by China too”.
DeSombre, a Harvard-educated lawyer, moved to Hong Kong in 1997 where he focused on mergers and acquisitions while working for the law firm Sullivan & Cromwell.
According to industry website law.com, in 2018, DeSombre advised Credit Suisse as financial adviser to the Alibaba Group, the owner of the South China Morning Post, on the Chinese e-commerce giant’s acquisition of a 33 per cent stake in Ant Small and Micro Financial Services Group.
After serving as Trump’s ambassador to Thailand, he rejoined the company in 2021 where he worked from both California and Hong Kong.
He is also a long-term Republican donor and fundraiser who helped found the Republicans Overseas group and chaired its Hong Kong chapter.


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News

China

Diplomacy

The nomination of Michael DeSombre, the former ambassador to Thailand, is expected to be well-received in Beijing


The nomination of Michael DeSombre, the former ambassador to Thailand, is expected to be well-received in Beijing.
