Former Senator David Perdue receives congressional approval to become US ambassador to China
A majority of senators have supported his nomination, in what was the last hurdle for him to be sworn in. The vote was 67 in favor and 29 against.
Trump's nominee to be ambassador to China, David Perdue.
The Senate on Monday gave the go-ahead for David Perdue to become the next US ambassador to China. The former Republican senator, with experience on key foreign relations committees, was nominated by Donald Trump last December.
A majority of senators have supported his nomination, in what turned out to be the last hurdle to clear for him to be sworn in. The vote resulted in 67 votes in favor and 29 against.
Perdue was a Republican US senator from Georgia from 2015 to 2021 and previously lived in Hong Kong during a 40-year career as an international business executive. Perdue's appointment comes at a critical and complicated time for US-China relations, particularly due to tariffs.
"He will be instrumental in implementing my strategy to maintain peace in the region and build productive working relationships with Chinese leaders," Trump wrote about his nominee last December.
As reported by Reuters, Perdue described Chinese President Xi Jinping as a "modern emperor." He also claimed in an essay that Beijing wanted to "destroy capitalism and democracy" and the US-led world order.
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