Trump says he is nominating Senator Rubio for secretary of state

WASHINGTON (Reuters) -U.S. President-elect Donald Trump said on Wednesday he is nominating Republican Senator Marco Rubio, a senior member of both the foreign relations and intelligence committees, to be his secretary of state.

"He will 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," Trump said in a statement.

The choice should come as a relief to U.S. partners worried that the Trump administration could pull back from its global network of alliances, including NATO, given Trump's more "America First" approach to foreign affairs.

Rubio, 53, is known as a China hawk, an outspoken critic of Cuba's Communist government and strong backer of Israel. He has in the past advocated for a more assertive U.S. foreign policy with respect to America's geopolitical foes, although more recently his views have aligned more closely with those of Trump.

(Reporting by David Brunnstrom and Patricia Zengerle; additional reporting by Eric Beech; Editing by Caitlin Webber)