Donald Trump names former Senator David Perdue of Georgia to be ambassador to China

Trump selects David Perdue as ambassador to China, focusing on economic tensions and potential tariffs in U.S.-China relations.

U.S. President-elect Donald Trump said on Thursday (December 5, 2024) that he had selected former Senator David Perdue of Georgia to serve as his ambassador to China, leaning on a former business executive turned politician to serve as the administration's envoy to America's most potent economic and military adversary.

In a social media post, Mr. Trump said Mr. Perdue, a former CEO, “brings valuable expertise to help build our relationship with China.” Mr. Perdue lost his Senate seat to Democrat Jon Ossoff four years ago and ran unsuccessfully in a 2022 primary against Georgia Governor Mr. Perdue pushed Mr. Trump’s debunked lies about electoral fraud during his failed bid for Georgia Governor.

During his time in the Senate, Mr. Perdue was labeled “anti-China” in a 2019 Chinese think tank report. The former Georgia lawmaker advocated that the U.S. needed to build a more robust naval force to cope with threats, including from China. Before launching his political career, Mr. Perdue held a string of top executive positions, including at Sara Lee, Reebok and the Dollar General.

Economic tensions will be a big part of the U.S.-China picture for the new administration. Mr. 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 goods from China, as one of his first executive orders.

The Chinese Embassy in Washington cautioned earlier this week that there will be losers on all sides if there is a trade war. “China-U.S. economic and trade cooperation is mutually beneficial in nature,” embassy spokesman 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 last year to help stem drug trafficking. The embassy did not immediately respond to a request for comment Thursday evening about Mr. Perdue's nomination.

It is unclear whether Mr. Trump will go through with the threats or if he is using them as a negotiating tactic. The tariffs, if implemented, could dramatically raise prices for American consumers on everything from gas to automobiles to agricultural products. The U.S. is the largest importer of goods in the world, with Mexico, China and Canada its top three suppliers, according to the most recent U.S. Census data. Mr. Perdue, if confirmed, will have to negotiate a difficult set of issues that goes beyond trade.

Washington and Beijing have long had deep differences on the support China has given to Russia during its war in Ukraine, human rights issues, technology and Taiwan, the self-ruled democracy that Beijing claims as its own. Chinese President Xi Jinping said in a meeting with outgoing President Joe Biden last month that Beijing stood “ready to work with a new U.S. administration." However, President Xi also warned that a stable China-U.S. relationship was critical to the two nations and the “future and destiny of humanity.”