President-elect Donald Trump has decided to nominate South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley, an Asian-American with little previous foreign policy experience, as US ambassador to the United Nations, his transition team announced Wednesday.

Haley, who was an outspoken critic of Trump during his campaign for the US presidency, was the first woman to be picked for his cabinet.

"Governor Haley has a proven track record of bringing people together regardless of background or party affiliation to move critical policies forward for the betterment of her state and our country," Trump said in the statement. "She is also a proven dealmaker, and we look to be making plenty of deals. She will be a great leader representing us on the world stage."