Donald Trump has nominated former Georgia Senator David Perdue to serve as ambassador to China, and Newsweek has taken a look at what he has said about China in the past.
The president-elect has wasted no time in revealing his cabinet picks and on Thursday, Trump announced that he had tapped Perdue to help him build a “productive working relationship with China’s leaders.” Perdue, who has lived in Singapore and Hong Kong, has significant business experience in Asia.
The new administration comes in amid mounting tensions between the U.S. and China, after Trump, who is pedaling “America-first” policies, said he plans to impose new tariffs on China.
In 2020, when Purdue was running for reelection to the Senate, the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee (DSCC) criticized his “record of outsourcing work to Asia and his history of ‘establishing relationships with the Chinese government’.”
AP
Indeed, during Purdue’s 2014 campaign, when a reporter asked how he would defend his outsourcing to China, he said he was “proud” of it.
He said: “I mean this is a part of American business, part of any business. I mean outsourcing is the procurement of products or services to help your business run.”
While Purdue agreed that “entire industries have been decimated,” he said this was because of “bad government policies” and not reliance on outsourcing.
In 2020, the Huffington Post reported that Purdue had excluded information about his ties with China in a campaign video that he had touted in an almost identical 2014 campaign video.
Two years before this, Purdue warned the U.S. not to underestimate China’s determination to win the space war.
“I have been a China watcher for much of my career,” he said. “China for 30 years has viewed space as a military effort. We need to recognize that.”
Newsweek has contacted Trump’s transition team, via email, for comment and to ask for a way to contact Purdue.
Purdue, who was a Republican senator from Georgia from 2015 to 2021, served on the Foreign Relations Committee and Armed Services Committee.
When Trump posted about Purdue’s nomination on Truth Social, he said: “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!”
