- US President-elect Donald Trump named David Perdue as the US ambassador to China.
- Perdue, a former senator and business executive, has extensive experience in Asia.
- Trump’s nomination comes amid trade tensions with China. He has threatened elevated tariffs on Chinese goods.
US President-elect Donald Trump has picked former Sen. David Perdue as the US ambassador to China.
A business executive before he entered politics, Perdue has lived in Singapore and Hong Kong.
“He will be instrumental in implementing my strategy to maintain Peace in the region, and a productive working relationship with China’s leaders,” Trump wrote on Truth Social. highlighting Perdue’s. experience with Asia and China and calling him a “loyal supporter and friend.”
Perdue said he’s “truly honored” to accept Trump’s nomination.
“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,” Perdue wrote on X.
Trump’s nomination of Perdue as ambassador to China comes at a time of tension between the world’s two largest economies.
Trump, who takes office on January 20, has threatened 60% tariffs on all Chinese imports to the US on his campaign trail. Last month, Trump said he intended to impose an additional 10% tariff on Chinese goods due to China’s role in the fentanyl trade.
Business and golf with Trump
Perdue served as a senator for Georgia from 2015 to 2021, during which time he was the only ex-Fortune 500 CEO serving in the Senate.
Like Trump, the Georgia native entered politics following decades in the business world. Perdue is also a keen golfer, which helped him bond with Trump.
Perdue said Trump often called him — at any hour — to strategize or brainstorm policy ideas.
“As a business guy, we have a point in commonality,” Perdue told Business Insider in 2018. “Number one, all we want is results. He’s not an ideologue. He has not been up here in the Washington bubble for all these years, fighting these partisan wars. He just wants to get results. I just want to get results.”
Perdue lost the Senate runoff election to Jon Ossoff, a Democrat, in January 2021.
Even though Trump picked Perdue citing his experience with Asia, this same experience had also been under scrutiny in the past as it involved outsourcing.
“Yeah, I spent most of my career doing that,” said Perdue, referring to his experience with outsourcing, in a July 2005 deposition during a company lawsuit, per Politico in a 2014 report.
During his tenure as senator, the Justice Department investigated him for insider trading, but no charges were filed.
Extensive business and retail experience
Perdue attended the Georgia Institute of Technology, where he graduated with a bachelor’s degree in industrial engineering in 1972.
He also has a master’s degree in operations research from the same university.
Perdue started his career at Kurt Salmon Associates, a consulting firm.
After that, he held several positions before his foray in Asia.
From 1991 to 1992, Perdue worked for the international apparel company Gitano in Singapore, and then for Sara Lee in Hong Kong.
Following these stints, Perdue held a number of high-level positions, including at Dallas-based Haggar Clothing, where he joined as a senior vice president of operations, and Reebok, where he joined as an SVP for its shoe business. He was Rebook’s CEO by 2001.
In 2003, Perdue joined Dollar General, where he became CEO. Perdue was the first person outside the Turner family to run the discount chain.
Perdue grew Dollar General, adding over 2,000 stores to the chain. In 2007, the private equity firm KKR acquired it.
In 2014, Perdue launched his bid for Georgia’s open Senate seat.
After losing in the Senate runoff election in 2021, Perdue set his sights on Georgia’s governor race.
In 2022, Perdue lost the GOP’s gubernatorial primary to Brian Kemp.
