U.S. President-Elect Donald Trump announced Thursday that he has picked former Senator David Perdue to be the new ambassador to China and chose someone of more business experience, a former politician trying to repair relations mired in mistrust, marred by trade tensions.
“He will be crucial in carrying out my plan of peace in the region and a normal working relationship with China,” Trump said on his social media platform Truth Social.
President to impose an additional 10% tariff on Chinese goods Trump nad Beijing must do more or faces 10% tariff on Chinese goods starting in January 2025, when he takes office (Jan 20, 2025)
During his campaign trail, he threatened on the trail to levy tariffs upwards of 60pc on Chinese goods.
Perdue (R-Ga) , who was a Senator from 2015 to 2021 and has worked asa business executive in Hong Kong for 40 years having previously lived there.
Perdue being nominated is a return to the norm of recent years when former politicians have been sent to the US embassy in Beijing, with the US embassy in Beijing recently promoting veteran career diplomat Nicholas Burns to be special USAID representative in 2021.
Trump has enlisted China hardliners for other high level posts in his team including US Senator; Marco Rubio for Secretary of State as a signal his ambitions for the United States top strategic rival way beyond trade sanctions.
The two teethed down into an unprecedented trade war, head-first.
As ambassador in often fractious bilateral relations, the role of US envoy is just being written.
Beijing is expected to try direct engagement (at least beyond public statements) with Trump himself and his inner circle just to get back on a relatively even keel after the inevitable trade tensions re-ignite.
