On Dec. 16, U.S. President-elect Donald Trump nominated his former ambassador to Portugal, George Glass, to be his next ambassador to Japan—adding another China hawk to his team.
Glass founded and ran Pacific Crest Securities, an investment firm, until 2014. He then ran an Oregon-based real estate firm before taking up his Portugal ambassador post in 2017, which he held for the duration of Trump’s first term as president.
On Dec. 16, U.S. President-elect Donald Trump nominated his former ambassador to Portugal, George Glass, to be his next ambassador to Japan—adding another China hawk to his team.
Glass founded and ran Pacific Crest Securities, an investment firm, until 2014. He then ran an Oregon-based real estate firm before taking up his Portugal ambassador post in 2017, which he held for the duration of Trump’s first term as president.
As the U.S. ambassador to Portugal, Glass fought against Chinese investments in the country. He told Portuguese leaders that they had to choose between the United States and China, and that they would face consequences for accepting Chinese telecom giant Huawei as a network provider. These warnings were not welcomed in Portugal.
A key U.S. ally in the era of competition with China, Japan hosts more than 50,000 U.S. troops. During his first term, Trump tried to push Japan to quadruple its contribution toward the costs of stationing the troops to $8 billion a year, but he ultimately failed to extract more from the country. The agreement is set to be renegotiated by 2026, when another five-year deal is expected.
At a press conference on Dec. 16, Trump said he’d be willing to meet with Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba, who has been seeking a meeting with the president-elect, before he takes office. Japan has a trade surplus with the United States, which could put it on the priority list for Trump tariffs.
This post is part of FP’s ongoing coverage of the Trump transition. Follow along here.
The post Trump Nominates Tough-on-China Businessman As Japan Ambassador appeared first on Foreign Policy.
