Trump taps China critic Perdue as next ambassador to Beijing

President-elect Donald Trump has named former Georgia Senator David Perdue to become ambassador to China, a key role for how the US deals with one of its biggest global rivals.

Perdue, who was labelled “anti-China” by a Chinese think tank while in Congress, has advocated for a stronger US navy, partly over China’s work to increase its military strength.

He is the latest China “hawk” tapped for foreign policy in Trump’s next term, as the world wonders if the incoming president will start a trade war with the country.

Earlier this week, Trump said Peter Navarro – who backs high tariffs and taking a hard line on China – would return to the White House as a trade and manufacturing adviser.

Both men tapped by Trump for cabinet roles on foreign policy – Senator Marco Rubio for secretary of state and Fox News weekend host Pete Hegseth for defence secretary – are also China critics, along with Michael Waltz, who is expected to become national security adviser.

In announcing his choice, Trump said Perdue would be “instrumental” in maintaining peace and a “productive working relationship” with China.

The President-elect has vowed to impose stiff tariffs on products entering the US from Canada, Mexico and China during his first days back in office.

A massive trade imbalance between the two countries has persisted for decades. The US imported more than $420b worth of goods from China in 2023, and exported less than $150b, federal data shows.

The Chinese embassy in the US recently warned that both countries would suffer consequences if a trade war were to ensue.

“China-US economic and trade cooperation is mutually beneficial in nature,” Chinese embassy spokesman Liu Pengyu posted on X earlier this week. “No will win win a trade war or a tariff war.”

On Thursday night – following Perdue’s nomination – Mr Liu said China stands “ready to engage in dialogue, expand cooperation, and manage differences with the incoming US government so as to maintain stability in China-US relations to the benefits of the two countries and the world at large”.

If confirmed by the Senate, Perdue will take over the ambassadorship in Beijing from Nicholas Burns, a veteran diplomat.

Perdue – who lost his senate seat to Democrat Jon Ossoff in 2020 – ran unsuccessfully to unseat Brian Kemp as the state’s governor in 2022.

During his failed gubernatorial bid, Perdue repeated Donald Trump’s false claims of electoral fraud in the 2020 election.

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Prior to getting involved in politics, he was a high-level executive at Dollar General, Reebok and other firms.