The elected president donald trump said Thursday that it has tapped former Sen. David Perdue of Georgia as its ambassador to China, leaning on a former business executive turned politician to serve as the administration’s envoy to the United States’ most powerful economic and military adversary.
Trump said in a social media post that Perdue “brings valuable experience to help build our relationship with China.”
Perdue lost his Senate seat to Democrat Jon Ossoff four years ago and ran unsuccessfully in a 2022 primary against Georgia Governor Brian Kemp. Perdue pushed Trump’s debunked lies about voter fraud during his failed run for governor of Georgia.
During his time in the Senate, Perdue was labeled “anti-China” in a 2019 Chinese think tank report. The former Georgia lawmaker argued that the United States needed to build a more robust naval force to confront threats, including those from China.
Before launching his political career, Perdue held a number of senior executive positions, including Sara Lee, Reebok and Dollar General. Economic tensions will be a major part of the US-China picture for the new administration.
Trump has threatened to impose sweeping new tariffs on Mexico, Canada and China as soon as he takes office as part of his effort to crack down on illegal immigration and drugs. He said he would impose a 25% tax on all products entering the country from Canada and Mexico, and an additional 10% tariff on products from China, as one of his first executive orders.
The Chinese embassy in Washington warned earlier this week that there will be losers on all sides if there is a trade war.
“The economic and trade cooperation between China and the United States is mutually beneficial in nature,” embassy spokesperson Liu Pengyu posted on X. “No one will win a trade war or a tariff war.” He added that China had taken steps in the past year to help curb drug trafficking.
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Lin Jian had no comment on Perdue’s nomination, saying only, “I have taken note of the relevant reports” when asked about it at a daily news conference in Beijing. . It is unclear whether Trump will actually follow through on his threats or if he is using them as a negotiating tactic.
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