Donald Trump has chosen former senator David Perdue to function the US ambassador to China amid escalating navy and commerce tensions.

The president-elect mentioned the previous senator from Georgia “brings priceless experience to assist construct our relationship with China“.

Mr Perdue, who lived in Hong Kong throughout a 40-year profession as a enterprise govt, shall be “instrumental in implementing my technique to keep up peace within the area and a productive working relationship with China’s leaders”, Mr Trump added.

In his time as senator from 2015 to 2021, Mr Perdue advocated for the US to construct a extra strong naval power to deal with overseas threats and was labeled “anti-China” in a 2019 Chinese language suppose tank.

His nomination got here days after Mr Trump threatened to impose an extra 10 per cent tariff on Chinese language items except the Asian big did extra to cease the alleged trafficking of the narcotic fentanyl. He additionally threatened tariffs in extra of 60 per cent on Chinese language items whereas on the marketing campaign path.

A spokesperson for the Chinese language embassy in Washington responded that Beijing believed commerce and financial cooperation between the 2 nations was mutually useful. “Nobody will win a commerce warfare or a tariff warfare,” the spokesperson added.

Mr Perdue, if confirmed, should negotiate a troublesome set of points that goes past commerce. His nomination marks a return to the apply over current many years of sending former politicians to the US embassy in Beijing, after outgoing president Joe Biden tapped veteran profession diplomat Nicholas Burns in 2021.

Mr Trump has picked China hardliners for different senior positions in his administration, together with senator Marco Rubio for secretary of state, in a sign that his coverage in direction of America’s predominant strategic rival might transcend commerce restrictions.

The US has been pressuring Beijing over its assist to Russia through the warfare in Ukraine, human rights points, and Taiwan.

Chinese language president Xi Jinping mentioned in a gathering with Mr Biden final month that Beijing stood “able to work with a brand new US administration”.

He mentioned a steady China-US relationship was crucial not solely to the 2 nations however to the “future and future of humanity”.

“Make the smart selection,” Mr Xi cautioned throughout his assembly with the outgoing president on the sidelines of a global summit in Peru. “Preserve exploring the best means for 2 main international locations to get alongside effectively with one another.”

Mr Trump’s relationship together with his Chinese language counterpart began out effectively throughout his first time period earlier than turning into strained over disputes about commerce and the origins of the Covid pandemic.

He despatched former Iowa governor Terry Branstad as his ambassador to China. Mr Branstad sought to leverage his outdated ties with Chinese language officers, together with Mr Xi, to enhance the bilateral relationship.

The 2 sides nonetheless plunged headlong right into a commerce warfare, with the US imposing tariffs on Chinese language items price greater than $360bn.

Extra reporting by businesses.