WASHINGTON — Former U.S. Sen. David Perdue, tapped by President Donald Trump to serve as ambassador to China, told members of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee that he is dedicated in using his political and business expertise while representing America’s interests in the nation he called “the most consequential diplomatic challenge in the 21st century.”
Perdue, who once served on the same committee, received a warm welcome from his former colleagues from both sides of the aisle during Thursday’s hearing. And he showcased a deep knowledge of the economic ties and political divides between the U.S. and China.
If confirmed, Perdue said his goal would be to advance Trump’s agenda while protecting national security, championing democracy and pursuing the interests of American businesses in the region. China is both a critical trading partner and a chief competitor to the U.S. when it comes to both national defense and the global economy.
“Unfettered globalization with minimal national security constraints has led to the situation today where many of America’s key strategic supply chains are in the hands of our adversaries,” Perdue said. “President Trump’s America first strategy is not isolation, it’s just the reverse. America will be a stronger ally and partner by rebuilding our strategic supply chains at home and with our friends.”
Credit: Nathan Posner for the Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Credit: Nathan Posner for the Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Perdue served one term in the U.S. Senate from 2015 to 2021, where he was assigned to both the Foreign Relations and Armed Services committees. In 2019, Perdue met with China’s top trade negotiator in Beijing and publicly backed Trump’s trade strategy toward China during his first stint in the White House.
Before running for office, Perdue led companies like Dollar General and Reebok and spent time living in Singapore and Hong Kong.
“As a Fortune 500 CEO, as a U.S. senator and as an expat living in Europe and Asia, I developed a global perspective on (the) relationship between our two countries,” he told the panel Thursday.
Committee members asked Perdue his thoughts about trade deficits in the region, disinformation campaigns from Chinese operatives, the flow of illegal drugs like fentanyl and even the amount of U.S. spending on foreign aid. Perdue told committee members that Chinese leaders have tried to increase the country’s influence in the region and he will approach the job with a focus on both diplomacy and reestablishing U.S. dominance.
Some of the response could involve reducing Chinese imports to the U.S., which have helped boost that country’s economy, Perdue said.
“That means that sometimes we will have to sacrifice, because what we’ve been seduced by are the cheap prices that we gave into over the last 30 years that were in many cases unfair because there were subsidized,” he said.
As a businessman, Perdue and the companies that employed him benefited from outsourcing labor to Chinese factories, something Democrats tried to use against him when he ran for Senate in 2014.
“I’m proud of it,” he said at the time. “This is a part of American business, part of any business. Outsourcing is the procurement of products and services to help your business run. People do that all day.”
Perdue adopted Trump’s positions on trade during the president’s first term. During his failed 2020 run for reelection the Perdue campaign hit back at the senator’s reliance on foreign labor, telling The Washington Post he “worked for American companies that saved and created tens of thousands of good-paying American jobs.”
Trump on Wednesday imposed a new 34% tariff on Chinese goods, an effort to encourage Americans to buy more products made domestically but also potentially escalating tensions between the two nations.
Seeking a second Senate term, Perdue was defeated by Jon Ossoff in a January 2021 runoff which handed control of the Senate to Democrats.
In 2022, Trump persuaded Perdue to wage a primary challenge against Gov. Brian Kemp. Kemp had angered Trump by refusing to help him overturn the results of the 2020 election, where Trump failed to carry the state of Georgia.
Immediately after his 2022 election loss, Perdue kept a low public profile. But when Trump decided to campaign for president for a third time, Perdue emerged back on the scene at fundraisers and rallies in support of Trump.
Trump in nominating Perdue to the ambassadorship cited both his business and political experience and said he will be leaned upon to help strengthen the U.S. relationship with China.
“He will be instrumental in implementing my strategy to maintain peace and a productive working relationship with China’s leaders,” Trump wrote on Truth Social when the appointment was announced in December.
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