Perdue says he is honored to accept the nomination and vows to uphold American interests in China.
President-elect Donald Trump has nominated former Georgia senator David Perdue as his pick to be the next U.S. ambassador to China.
“As a Fortune 500 CEO, who had a 40-year International business career, and served in the U.S. Senate, David brings valuable expertise to help build our relationship with China,” Trump wrote in a Dec. 5
Truth Social post announcing the nomination.
“He will be instrumental in implementing my strategy to maintain Peace in the region, and a productive working relationship with China’s leaders.”
Trump highlighted Perdue’s past experiences, including his time living in both Singapore and Hong Kong and his services as a senator on the Foreign Relations Committee and the Armed Services Committee, where he was the chairman of the Sea Power Subcommittee.
In 2021, Perdue
lost his Senate seat to Democrat Jon Ossoff after a runoff election. In 2022, he
finished second in the Republican primary for governor of Georgia.
Perdue, who is 74, said via social media platform X that he was honored to accept Trump’s nomination.
“Having lived in Asia on two occasions, I understand the gravity of this responsibility and look forward to implementing President Trump’s strategy to make the world safe again and to represent the United States’ interests in China,” Perdue
wrote.
Trump, who will take office in January, has
vowed to impose an additional 10 percent tariff on Chinese imports, pointing to Beijing’s broken promises to stop the flow of fentanyl into the United States.
During his campaign trail, Trump also
suggested that he would impose tariffs of at least 60 percent on Chinese goods, with potentially higher tariffs on Chinese electric vehicles.
Nicholas Burns, the current U.S. ambassador to China, congratulated Perdue on his nomination.
“I look forward to meeting with him and wish him every success in this important position,” Burns
wrote on X.
In response, Perdue
said that he looks forward to working with Burns and thanked the current ambassador for having “represented the US’s interests in China during a very difficult time.”
Heritage Foundation senior fellow Michael Pillsbury said Trump made an “excellent pick” with Perdue, adding that the former senator “has the experience, understanding of Beijing’s ambitions, and savvy to represent” Trump and U.S. interests, according to his social media
post.
Trump named former Iowa Gov.
Terry Branstad as his ambassador to China during his first term in office.
Calling Out Beijing’s Agenda
Perdue was a member of the Senate between 2015 and 2021.
In January 2020, when the United States and China
signed phase one of the trade deal, Perdue took to X to applaud Trump’s move, saying the agreement “will help American workers, farmers, and businesses & keep up [the] momentum as negotiations continue.”
“This President has kept his promise to fight for a level playing field,” Perdue
wrote.
Perdue also has a history of being critical of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP).
“China must stop stealing our intellectual property, forcing technology transfers, and waging cyber attacks. They also need to comply with the WTO and allow equal access to their markets,” Perdue
wrote on X in July 2019, using the acronym of the World Trade Organization.
In August 2018, he also criticized China’s foreign policy of the Belt and Road Initiative, which is also known as One Belt One Road.
“The goal of China’s Belt and Road Initiative is the creation of an economic world order that’s ultimately dominated by China. The U.S. must counter China’s attempts to hold other countries financially hostage,” he
wrote on X.
In October 2018, Perdue was among a bipartisan group of senators who introduced Senate Resolution
667 condemning Beijing’s persecution of religious groups and urging the president to take action to promote religious freedom in China through the International Religious Freedom Act of 1988, the Frank R. Wolf International Religious Freedom Act, and the Global Magnitsky Act.
“Many members of religious minority groups in China ... face severe repression and discrimination because of their beliefs,” the resolution
states.
The former senator has previously advocated that the United States needed to ramp up its production of naval vessels to confront its competitors, including China.
In his
op-ed published by Defense News in July 2020, Perdue characterized China as “America’s biggest long-term challenge,” noting that the Chinese Navy has more ships than the U.S. Navy.
“China has surpassed, or ‘out-sticked,’ us in some missile capabilities as well,” Perdue wrote.
China has the world’s largest navy with more than 370 ships, according to a
report published by the Pentagon last year. The report estimated that the Chinese Navy will increase to 435 ships by 2030.
