Kevin Rudd decided to quit his job as US ambassador of his own accord, one of his predecessors believes as the former prime minister prepares to return to his life as a China analyst.
Dr Rudd has resigned a year before the end of his term as ambassador to take up a new job as president and chief executive of the Asia Society, a world-leading foreign policy think tank.
Despite him having a sometimes rocky relationship with President Donald Trump, former ambassador to the US Arthur Sinodinos said Dr Rudd was unlikely to have been pushed out by the federal government.
"He did a good job as ambassador, helping to shepherd the AUKUS legislation through Congress, promoting Australia's interests around critical minerals and the superannuation industry," Mr Sinodinos told AAP.
"There was no indication that this was now a time for him to stand down. I don't think he stood in the way of the Australia-US relationship in that regard."
Dr Rudd will remain in the United States in his new role with the Asia Society, splitting his time between New York and Washington DC.
It's familiar territory for the soon-to-be-former ambassador, who worked with the Asia Society from 2015 to 2023 before taking the diplomatic posting.
Dr Rudd is widely respected for his views on the US-China relationship and has written two books on the issue.
American politicians often sought his advice on managing the relationship with Beijing.
Dr Rudd said he was looking forward to returning to think-tank life.
"I will be remaining in America working between New York and Washington on the future of US-China relations, which I have always believed to be the core question for the future stability of our region and the world," he said in a statement on social media.
"As a 'think and do' tank, Asia Society's formidable Center for China Analysis will be an important platform to that end."
