Trump names his company lawyer as special negotiator

U.S. President-elect Donald Trump has tapped Jason Greenblatt, the Trump Organization's executive vice president and chief legal officer, as his "special representative for international negotiations", Trump's transition team said on Tuesday.

"He has a history of negotiating substantial, complex transactions on my behalf, as well as the expertise to bring parties together and build consensus on difficult and sensitive topics," Trump said in a statement, praising Greenblatt as one of his "closest and most trusted advisers".

"His talents lend themselves perfectly to the role I have asked him to play, assisting on international negotiations of all types, and trade deals around the world," Trump said.

It was not clear whether Greenblatt's new position would clash with the United StatesTrade Representative (USTR), a Cabinet-level position that has traditionally served as the president's principal trade advisor and negotiator.

Trump last week picked Peter Navarro, an economist and a professor at University of California, Irvine, to head the newly-created National Trade Council at the White House, but he has not yet named his pick for the USTR.

Trump had made trade as a centerpiece of his presidential campaign, trying to appeal to angry and frustrated blue-collar voters who have seen manufacturing jobs lose in an increasing global economy. He had vowed to renegotiate the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) and pull the United States out of the controversial Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) trade deal.

source: Xinhua