TheJakartaPost
Please Update your browser
Your browser is out of date, and may not be compatible with our website. A list of the most popular web browsers can be found below.
Just click on the icons to get to the download page.
Joe Biden considers appointing White House 'tsar' for Asia: Report
Biden's administration would appoint the "right people and structures" to promote US interests and values alongside its allies, it said, citing a transition team official.
Change Size
US President-elect Joe Biden smiles as he speaks about health care and the Affordable Care Act (Obamacare) at the theater serving as his transition headquarters in Wilmington, Delaware, US on Tuesday (Reuters/Jonathan Ernst)
U
S President-elect Joe Biden is considering naming a White House 'Asia tsar' on the National Security Council, a move that signals the region's importance in tackling challenges from China, the Financial Times newspaper said on Tuesday.
Biden's administration would appoint the "right people and structures" to promote US interests and values alongside its allies, it said, citing a transition team official.
The Financial Times reported that five people familiar with the debate inside the Biden transition team said he was weighing the option to create the role in the National Security Council. Establishing the position would underscore how the region has become even more critical since the Obama administration’s “Asia pivot”.
The tsar role is one of several ideas being considered by Jake Sullivan, the incoming national security adviser. Any move would reflect how US-China relations have become more complicated and tense during the presidency of Donald Trump and since Mr Biden left his position as vice-president four years ago. It would also highlight the challenges Washington and its allies face dealing with an increasing assertive China.
Biden's transition team did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment.
