The Senate on Tuesday confirmed former Sen. David Perdue as ambassador to China, just as the U.S. and China are locked in a tariff showdown that threatens to redefine diplomatic relations between the world’s two largest economies.
Perdue, a Republican who served one term as a U.S. senator from Georgia, was confirmed 67-29 with some Democratic support. At his confirmation hearing this month, the former business executive called the U.S. relationship with China the “most consequential diplomatic challenge of the 21st century.”
“Our approach to China should be nuanced, nonpartisan and strategic,” Perdue said.
President Donald Trump, who selected Perdue in December, slapped 145% tariffs on Chinese goods this month, and Beijing retaliated by charging 125% tariffs on U.S. products, with no sign for any immediate climbdown.
While the Trump administration appears to be betting that the high tariffs will not be sustainable for the Chinese economy and will bring Beijing to the negotiating table, the Chinese leadership has vowed to “fight to the end.” China is readjusting domestic policies to expand the domestic market and reduce reliance on the U.S.
“No matter how the global situation changes, we will anchor our development goals, maintain our strategic focus and concentrate efforts on doing our own work,” said Zhao Chenxin, vice chairman of China’s National Development and Reform Commission.
Perdue will arrive in a China that is increasingly challenging U.S. global dominance. Chinese forces are more assertive in the Taiwan Strait as well as in the South China Sea, and the country has risen to be a near-peer competitor in areas such as artificial intelligence and humanoid robots. The Trump administration is set to get tougher on tech competitions while seeking ways to prevent any military confrontation with Beijing, though there has been a mutual distrust, especially over flashpoints such as the future of the self-governed island of Taiwan.
Yun Sun, director of the China program at the Washington-based think tank Stimson Center, said Perdue’s confirmation is timely because “credible points of contact” are essential to stabilizing the two countries’ relationship amid the tariff war.
Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman Jim Risch, R-Idaho, said ahead of the vote that Perdue’s nomination was “certainly one of the most important appointments that will come across this floor.”
Perdue lost his Senate seat to Democrat Jon Ossoff four years ago and ran unsuccessfully in a 2022 primary against Republican Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp. Perdue pushed Trump’s false claims of electoral fraud in the 2020 election during his failed bid for governor.
Before launching his political career, Perdue held a string of top executive positions, including at Sara Lee, Reebok and Dollar General.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.