Kerry next in line for top State position_美文

Kerry next in line for top State position

"Kerry has the best chance to become the secretary of State in Obama's second term," said Cheng Li, an expert on US-China relations at the Brookings Institution in Washington.

"He will easily get the confirmation in Congress," Li said. "And Kerry's good relations with Congress will also make President Obama's job easier in the next term."

Kerry, who was the ranking Democrat on the Foreign Relations subcommittee on East Asian and Pacific affairs under a Republican-controlled Senate, is regarded as a leading expert on the region. He also is known for his moderate stance toward China and close working relationship with Chinese leaders.

Before President Hu Jintao's visit to the United States in January 2011, Kerry gave a speech on US-China policy at the Center for American Progress in Washington, saying the US needs to respond to China's rising economic influence with an economic renaissance of its own.

"After all, economics is not war. We can both come out of this well ahead of where we are now," the senator said. "And China's rise need not disrupt the international system that we have built. In fact, China's participation can renew that system and better equip it to deal with the challenges of the 21st century."

Others considered to be on the shortlist to become secretary of State are UN Ambassador Susan Rice and Obama's national security adviser, Tom Donilon.

Rice served on the National Security Council and as assistant-secretary of State for African Affairs during President Bill Clinton's second term. She was a foreign policy adviser on Kerry's 2004 presidential campaign and served as a senior policy adviser to Obama in 2008.