WASHINGTON (AP) — President-elect Donald Trump is famously unconventional, but he made conventional picks for his two top foreign policy positions. That could be reassuring to American allies, while China and Iran have reasons to be wary.

With his nomination of China hardliner Marco Rubio for secretary of state, U.S. President-elect Donald Trump has signaled his policy toward Beijing could go beyond his focus on tariffs and trade to a more hawkish stance towards China as the United States' top strategic rival.

The nomination of Rubio, a China hawk who's been sanctioned by Beijing, comes at a tense moment in the Indo-Pacific region.

The president-elect said Senator Rubio would be “a strong advocate for our nation, a true friend to our allies and a fearless warrior who will never back down to our adversaries.”

U.S. President-elect Donald Trump officially announced on Wednesday he is nominating Republican Senator Marco Rubio, a senior member of both the foreign relations and intelligence committees and former political rival,

The conservative lawmaker is a noted hawk on China, Cuba and Iran, and was a finalist to be Trump’s running mate this summer.

Sen. Marco Rubio appears on track to become the first Latino secretary of State and likely highest ranking Latino in the Trump administration.