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Ankit Panda

Opinion | In Mike Pompeo, Donald Trump has the enabler for his multifaceted China policy

Ankit Panda writes that while Rex Tillerson’s State Department drifted away from the White House, the new secretary may boost diplomacy’s role in enacting Trump’s agenda

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Incoming US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has long been a loyalist of President Donald Trump. Photo: Reuters

US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson’s services are no longer required, President Donald Trump has determined. Instead, Trump has chosen Mike Pompeo, currently the director of the Central Intelligence Agency, to succeed Tillerson, the former ExxonMobil executive, as America’s top diplomat. 

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What will Pompeo bring to the portfolio of secretary of state and how might his approach matter for China? 

At the core, Trump’s decision to elevate Pompeo is borne of personal compatibility. The president simply likes Mike better than Rex and said as much, noting that he and the outgoing secretary often came to the table with “different” mindsets on issues. 

Donald Trump’s decision to elevate Mike Pompeo was borne of personal compatibility. Photo: Bloomberg
Donald Trump’s decision to elevate Mike Pompeo was borne of personal compatibility. Photo: Bloomberg

Pompeo, on the other hand, has long been a Trump loyalist – and loyalty finds reward in this administration. 

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As the person who delivered the president’s daily brief, Pompeo also got plenty of facetime with Trump. Those briefings ran the gamut of global issues, leaving Trump with the impression that Pompeo would be an adept candidate to run the state department. 

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