Don names former senator David Perdue to be China envoy

US President-elect Donald Trump said on Thursday he has selected former Sen David Perdue of Georgia to serve as his ambassador to China, leaning on a former business executive turned politician to serve as the administration's envoy to America's most potent economic and military adversary.

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Trump said in a social media post that Perdue "brings valuable expertise to help build our relationship with China".

Perdue lost his Senate seat to Democrat Jon Ossoff four years ago and ran unsuccessfully in a 2022 primary against Georgia Governor Brian Kemp. Perdue pushed Trump's debunked lies about electoral fraud during his failed bid for Georgia governor.

During his time in the Senate, Perdue was labeled as "anti-China" in a 2019 Chinese think tank report. The former Georgia lawmaker advocated that the US needed to build a more robust naval force to cope with threats, including from China.

Before launching his political career, Perdue held a string of top executive positions, including at Sara Lee, Reebok and Dollar General. Economic tensions will be a big part of the U.S.-China picture for the new administration.