<p>A top US State Department official has been tasked with countering "malign influences" of China and others at the United Nations, the agency confirmed on Thursday.</p>.<p>"Mr. Lambert, a career Foreign Service officer, has been assigned to the Bureau of International Organization Affairs as a member of a diverse team of diplomatic professionals working to ensure the integrity of multilateral institutions," a State Department spokeswoman said.</p>.<p>"This includes countering the malign influences of the PRC and others in the UN system," the spokeswoman said, using the acronym for the People's Republic of China.</p>.<p>Foreign Policy Magazine reported on Wednesday that Mark Lambert, most recently the US special envoy for North Korea, would be moving into this role.</p>.<p>The post appears amid skepticism about multilateral institutions within President Donald Trump's administration.</p>.<p>Trump has repeatedly publicly criticized institutions such as the United Nations, the World Trade Organization and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO).</p>.<p>On Wednesday, a senior State Department official told reporters that China had not repatriated North Korean workers by a Dec. 22 deadline, in violation of United Nations sanctions.</p>.<p>The Chinese embassy did not immediately respond to a request for comment.</p>
<p>A top US State Department official has been tasked with countering "malign influences" of China and others at the United Nations, the agency confirmed on Thursday.</p>.<p>"Mr. Lambert, a career Foreign Service officer, has been assigned to the Bureau of International Organization Affairs as a member of a diverse team of diplomatic professionals working to ensure the integrity of multilateral institutions," a State Department spokeswoman said.</p>.<p>"This includes countering the malign influences of the PRC and others in the UN system," the spokeswoman said, using the acronym for the People's Republic of China.</p>.<p>Foreign Policy Magazine reported on Wednesday that Mark Lambert, most recently the US special envoy for North Korea, would be moving into this role.</p>.<p>The post appears amid skepticism about multilateral institutions within President Donald Trump's administration.</p>.<p>Trump has repeatedly publicly criticized institutions such as the United Nations, the World Trade Organization and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO).</p>.<p>On Wednesday, a senior State Department official told reporters that China had not repatriated North Korean workers by a Dec. 22 deadline, in violation of United Nations sanctions.</p>.<p>The Chinese embassy did not immediately respond to a request for comment.</p>