Virendra Pandit
New Delhi: US President-elect Donald Trump, who is set to return to the White House next month, has named his controversial political ally and former Georgia Senator David Perdue as the next Ambassador to China, a key trade partner so far, against which the Republican leader has promised to impose punishing tariffs.
“Tonight, I am announcing that former US Senator, David Perdue, has accepted my appointment as the next United States Ambassador to the People’s Republic of China,” Trump wrote on social media.
Perdue, 74, a business executive and politician, served as a Senator for Georgia from 2015 to 2021 but failed in a bid for Governor of the state in 2022, the media reported on Friday.
If confirmed by the US Senate, Perdue will play a key role in managing the ‘volatile’ relationship between the United States and China, the world’s two largest economies.
A key Trump ally, he backed the former President’s claims regarding alleged fraud in the 2020 presidential election, which Trump lost to Joe Biden.
A special grand jury had recommended indicting Perdue over those claims, but the district attorney ultimately declined to charge him in that case.
Trump ignited a trade war with China during his last term (2017-21) and has promised to again weaponize the use of tariffs to prioritize US manufacturing.
He hailed Perdue as a “loyal supporter” in his social media post, touting his business experience as making him well-suited for the diplomatic role in Beijing.
“He will be instrumental in implementing my strategy to maintain Peace in the region and a productive working relationship with China’s leaders,” said Trump.
“David has been a loyal supporter and friend, and I look forward to working with him in his new role!”
Perdue hails from a prominent Georgia business family, most widely known for their chicken industry empire, the media said.
While in the US Senate, he served on the Armed Services Committee — chairing its Sea Power subcommittee — and on the Foreign Relations Committee.
He was one of the richest members of the US Congress, and among its most active traders on the stock market while still in office, with the New York Times in 2020 reporting the US Department of Justice had investigated him for possible insider trading.