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https://scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3113163/mayor-pete-buttigieg-could-be-heading-china-joe-bidens-pick
China/ Diplomacy

‘Mayor Pete’ Buttigieg could be heading to China as Joe Biden’s pick for ambassador role

  • Appointment would boost the small town mayor’s chances in future US presidential race, online news report says
  • Buttigieg’s name is also said to be under discussion for a number of domestic leadership positions in new administration
Former Democratic presidential hopeful Pete Buttigieg could be the next US ambassador to China. Photo: AFP

Former Democratic presidential candidate Pete Buttigieg may be headed for China as the incoming Biden administration’s ambassador to Beijing, according to US news website Axios.

The report, citing people familiar with the matter, said Biden was considering the former mayor of South Bend, Indiana for the post – deepening his foreign policy chops and boosting his chances if he returns, as expected, to a future presidential race.

However, Axios said Buttigieg was also under discussion for a number of domestic leadership positions, including transport or commerce.

He was seen as a contender for the US ambassador post at the UN, which went instead to Linda Thomas-Greenfield.

If Buttigieg does go to China, he would be following in the footsteps of former president George HW Bush, who was appointed to the liaison office in Beijing by the Ford administration in 1974, before the two countries had established formal diplomatic ties

In an op-ed for The Washington Post in May, Buttigieg described Donald Trump as “China’s dream candidate” and said the Chinese government would be more than happy to deal with him for four more years.

“As a strategic competitor, China welcomes a polarised, paralysed America. Trump’s answer has been a raft of policies that play into China’s long-range plans while lashing out more recently with rhetoric that encourages bigotry and a surge of hate crimes against Asian Americans,” he wrote.

“Beijing sees an opportunity to call into question the American project, and liberal democracy itself. One thing they’re banking on is four more years of Trump.”

Diplomatic observers are watching keenly for signs that the Biden administration will move to restore China-US relations, seriously damaged after four years of trade and ideological conflict.

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi called on Monday for Washington and Beijing to resume a dialogue to reset ties, including strengthening communication at all levels and expanding areas of cooperation – such as getting the coronavirus pandemic under control and negotiations on an investment treaty.

But the two nations had another spat on Tuesday, after Washington sanctioned the 14 senior leaders of the Chinese legislature over the controversial national security law in Hong Kong.

Chinese foreign vice-minister Zheng Zeguang summoned Robert Forden, who is leading the United States mission to China, to protest against the move, which he said was a serious interference in China’s internal affairs.

The US does not have an ambassador to China after Terry Branstad stepped down in October.

Tang Xiaoyang, deputy director at the Department of International Relations at Tsinghua University, noted that Buttigieg has no prior diplomatic experience in China affairs.

“For now the professional diplomats will only maintain the normal operation of Sino-US relations. He [Biden] hasn’t set any clear framework for the general direction of Sino-US relations,” he said.

Additional reporting by Rachel Zhang