US PRESIDENT-ELECT DONALD TRUMP has named Rex Tillerson, chief executive of Exxon Mobil, as his pick for secretary of state. He had previously picked Goldman Sachs executive Gary Cohn to head the National Economic Council, a key policymaking body. Beijing News commented on Wednesday:

Picking candidates for high Cabinet positions largely depends on their loyalty to the new administration and the president's trust in their communication skills and capability to execute orders from above.

Former treasury secretary Paul O'Neill in the George W. Bush administration is an apt example of efficiently lobbying for congressional support and managing economic issues without provoking unnecessary attention. He also had a successful record leading Alcoa Inc, the largest United States aluminum producer, before he entered the White House.