US President Donald Trump has announced that he will nominate a former ambassador to Thailand as the next Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs.
In a social media post on Tuesday, Trump said Michael DeSombre will be nominated to the State Department post.
During Trump's first term, DeSombre served as the US ambassador to Thailand, and the president wrote that he "did a great job."
Trump added that DeSombre graduated magna cum laude from Harvard Law School and had also written a thesis at Stanford University on China's nuclear weapons strategy.
Trump expressed high expectations for the nominee, saying, "I know Michael will work incredibly hard for our Country."
DeSombre has reportedly lived and worked in Asia, including Hong Kong and China, for more than 20 years.
If approved by Congress, DeSombre will take charge of East Asian foreign policy under Secretary of State Marco Rubio.
He is expected to deal with Japan issues, as well as those concerning China, which the US regards as its biggest competitor. He will also handle North Korea, which continues its nuclear and missile development programs.