Donald Trump is set to create a National Trade Council to oversee industrial policy during his presidency - Peter Navarro, a Harvard-trained economist, will lead this body.

The author of Death by China and Crouching Tiger: What China’s Militarism Means for the World is an advocate of the US taking a combative trade stance against China.

Mr Navarro is described by The Financial Times as "one of the architects of the populist [Trump] economic message."

"I read one of Peter’s books on America’s trade problems years ago and was impressed by the clarity of his arguments and thoroughness of his research ... He has presciently documented the harms inflicted by globalism on American workers, and laid out a path forward to restore our middle class," Trump said.

His Transition Team has described him as an "visionary economist" who will "develop trade policies that shrink our trade deficit, expand our growth, and help stop the exodus of jobs from our shores."

Mr Navarro has previously called on people to "help defend America" and to protect their families my not buying products that are "Made in China."

He has also said that Chinese military aggression in Taiwan is a realistic possibility.