President-elect Joe Biden plans to nominate veteran diplomat Antony Blinken as his secretary of state, a decision likely to signal a return to multilateralism after Donald Trump’s shunning of traditional allies, US media reported Sunday.

The 58-year-old Blinken, a former deputy secretary of state under Barack Obama, is also a longtime aide to Biden.

Bloomberg and The New York Times reported the plan to nominate him. Biden is expected to announce the decision on Tuesday.

Blinken, if confirmed by the US Senate, would replace Mike Pompeo, whose priorities have included a more confrontational approach to China and containing Iran.

Blinken’s appointment as the country’s top diplomat could help reassure the United States’ traditional allies who have been shunned and at times insulted by Trump.

[AFP]