Trump names former Sen. David Perdue of Georgia to be ambassador to China

WASHINGTON (AP) — President-elect Donald Trump has selected former Sen. David Perdue of Georgia to be the U.S. 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.

Trump said in a social media post Thursday 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 Gov. 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 for a more robust naval force to cope with threats, including from China.