Joe Biden expected to pick Chinese-American Katherine Tai as trade representative

US President-elect Joe Biden is expected to nominate Chinese-American Katherine Tai as US trade representative in his cabinet. Tai, who is currently the chief trade lawyer for the House Ways and Means Committee, will become the first woman of colour to hold the position if picked by Biden. According to reports, Tai enjoys the support of both progressive and moderate factions of the Democratic party and is popular among the labour and business circles in the country. 

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Tai played a vital role during the US-Canada-Mexico trade deal as she reportedly negotiated stronger labour provisions with the Trump administration. Biden is expected to pick Tai for the key cabinet post after members of Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus reportedly met with his transition team to express their concern about not enough Asian-Americans in his team so far. 

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If Tai, who is a Yale and Harvard graduate, is selected for the post, she would become the second Asian-American to be picked by Biden in his cabinet. Neera Tanden, an Indian-American, has been nominated by the former vice-president as Director of the Office of Management and Budget. Another Asian-American, who has been picked by Biden for a cabinet post is Dr. Vivek Murthy, who currently serves as co-chair of the President-elect’s COVID-19 Advisory and has been nominated as Surgeon General. 

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Biden's recent picks

US President-elect Joe Biden on December 8 selected Army general Lloyd Austin to be his secretary of defence. If confirmed by the Senate, Austin will become the first African-American to lead Pentagon. US President-elect Joe Biden on Monday, December 7, announced his health team, with Xavier Becerra as Secretary of Health and Human Services and Dr. Anthony Fauci as Chief Medical Adviser to the President on COVID-19. 

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(Inputs: ANI, Image Credit: AP)