President-elect Donald Trump announced he has appointed former Senator David Perdue (R-Ga.) to serve as U.S. ambassador to the People’s Republic of China (PRC) in his second administration. Perdue served as a U.S. senator from Georgia from 2015 to 2021. As stated in a Trump-Vance transition press release:
Tonight, I am announcing that former U.S. Senator, David Perdue, has accepted my appointment as the next United States Ambassador to the People’s Republic of China. As a Fortune 500 CEO, who had a 40-year International business career, and served in the U.S. Senate, David brings valuable expertise to help build our relationship with China. He has lived in Singapore and Hong Kong, and worked in Asia and China for much of his career. In the U.S. Senate, he served on the Armed Services Committee, where he was Chair of the powerful Sea Power Subcommittee. He also served on the Foreign Relations Committee, the only Republican to serve on both Committees. He will be instrumental in implementing my strategy to maintain Peace in the region, and a productive working relationship with China’s leaders. David has been a loyal supporter and friend, and I look forward to working with him in his new role!
In response to Trump’s announcement, Perdue stated he is honored to accept the nomination, and noted he understood the importance of representing U.S. interests in China, posting on X:
I am truly honored to accept President Trump’s nomination to become the next US Ambassador to the People’s Republic of China. Having lived in Asia on two occasions, I understand the gravity of this responsibility and look forward to implementing President Trump’s strategy to make the world safe again and to represent the United States’ interests in China.
Current U.S. ambassador to the PRC, R. Nicholas Burns, responded to Perdue’s appointment, stating in a post on X:
Congratulations to Senator David Perdue on his nomination to be the next United States Ambassador to the People’s Republic of China. I look forward to meeting with him and wish him every success in this important position.
Perdue scored an unremarkable 28 percent on The New American’s Freedom Index during the 116th Congress (2019-2020), before losing his reelection bid to Senator Jon Ossoff (D-Ga.) in the January 5, 2021 runoff election, ending his career in the Senate earning a cumulative score of 52 percent.
