WASHINGTON — The Senate on Tuesday confirmed former Sen. David Perdue as ambassador to China, just as the U.S. and China are locked in a tariff showdown that threatens to redefine diplomatic relations between the world’s two largest economies.
Perdue, a Republican who served one term as a U.S. senator from Georgia, was confirmed 67-29 with some Democratic support. At his confirmation hearing this month, the former business executive called the U.S. relationship with China the “most consequential diplomatic challenge of the 21st century.”
“Our approach to China should be nuanced, nonpartisan and strategic,” Perdue said.
President Donald Trump, who selected Perdue in December, slapped 145% tariffs on Chinese goods this month, and Beijing retaliated by charging 125% tariffs on U.S. products, with no sign for any immediate climbdown.
While the Trump administration appears to be betting that the high tariffs will not be sustainable for the Chinese economy and will bring Beijing to the negotiating table, the Chinese leadership has vowed to “fight to the end.” China is readjusting domestic policies to expand the domestic market and reduce reliance on the U.S.
“No matter how the global situation changes, we will anchor our development goals, maintain our strategic focus and concentrate efforts on doing our own work,” said Zhao Chenxin, vice chairman of China’s National Development and Reform Commission.
Perdue will arrive in a China that is increasingly challenging U.S. global dominance. Chinese forces are more assertive in the Taiwan Strait as well as in the South China Sea, and the country has risen to be a near-peer competitor in are