On Tuesday, April 29th, the United States Senate voted 67-29 to support the nomination of former Senator David Perdue by President Trump to be the ambassador to China. Perdue, a former business executive, will assume the role amidst the backdrop of intense strategic competition and trade wars between the U.S. and China.
Perdue served as a Republican U.S. Senator for Georgia from 2015 to 2021 and had a career spanning 40 years in the corporate world, during which he resided in Hong Kong.
During his confirmation hearing in early April, Perdue emphasized that prioritizing human rights would be one of his key missions. “As a spokesperson for the American people and this administration, one of my top responsibilities is to convey our deep concern over these atrocities,” he stated.
In his previous role as the CEO of a Fortune 500 company, Perdue also noted that for decades, the U.S. had turned a blind eye to Beijing’s unfair trade practices and now it was time to take action.
While Perdue has been critical of the Chinese Communist Party, he has faced some opposition due to his past support for outsourcing American jobs to countries with lower labor costs in his business career. President Trump has criticized such practices, accusing them of hollowing out the foundation of American manufacturing.
Last year, Perdue referred to Chinese leader Xi Jinping as a “modern-day emperor” in an article, expressing concerns that Beijing aimed to “destroy capitalism and democracy,” as well as the U.S.-led world order.
Upon nominating Perdue, Trump stated that “he will assist in implementing my strategy, maintaining peace in the region, and fostering a productive working relationship with Chinese leaders.”
Perdue advocates for a tough stance against the Chinese Communist Party, earning him the label of a “long-term anti-China congressman” in Chinese state media during his time in Congress. In his confirmation hearing in early April, Perdue stressed that America’s policy towards China must be “nuanced, bipartisan, and strategic.”