Now that Tim Cook is shedding the yoke of running Apple, he can devote more time to an increasingly crucial role: acting as the company¡¯s global ambassador.

In announcing his new job as executive chairman, Apple said that Cook¡¯s work will include engaging policymakers around the world, a task that holds new importance for the iPhone maker against a backdrop of U.S.-China trade friction and rising geopolitical tensions from the Iran war.

While newly anointed Chief Executive Officer John Ternus works to further Cook¡¯s work and embed AI into Apple¡¯s devices, Cook will tread a thin line between Washington and Beijing as the world¡¯s two largest economies vie for supremacy. His new assignment extends the corporate diplomacy that defined his 15 years leading the iPhone maker.