Howard Lutnick named US commerce secretary and will ‘lead’ on tariffs and trade

US president-elect Donald Trump has named Howard Lutnick, a Wall Street CEO, as his choice for commerce secretary, a role promoting American businesses and industries that could influence the trajectory of Sino-American relations.

In announcing the nomination, Trump said Lutnick would “lead our tariff and trade agenda, with additional direct responsibility for the Office of United States Trade Representative”. It was not immediately clear whether Lutnick would lead USTR.

Well-known in American business circles for his nearly 30-year career at financial services company Cantor Fitzgerald, Lutnick is a co-chair of Trump’s transition team.

As co-chair, the New York native has managed the selection of candidates for key Trump administration positions, emphasising “fidelity and loyalty … to the man”.

Trump in his announcement on Tuesday said Lutnick had “created the most sophisticated process and system to assist us in creating the greatest administration America has ever seen”.

Like Trump, Lutnick has said globalisation undermines American workers. “Tariff the rest of the world and keep them the heck out,” Lutnick has said.