Donald Trump has chosen former Georgia Senator David Perdue as the ambassador to China. Perdue has much business experience in Asia, having served as the CEO of Dollar General and a top executive at Sara Lee and Reebok. He has lived in Singapore and Hong Kong and previously highlighted this expertise during his Senate campaign in 2014.

Trump praised Perdue’s background and his work on Senate committees related to armed services and foreign relations. He stated that Perdue will help maintain peace in the region and build a good relationship with China’s leaders. Perdue served one term in the Senate but lost his re-election in 2021. Trump had also recruited him to run for governor of Georgia in 2022, but he lost that primary significantly.

Perdue’s past support for moving jobs to Asia has clashed with Trump’s America First policy. Recently, Trump threatened to impose tariffs on Chinese goods if they don’t address fentanyl trafficking.