David Perdue, the new U.S. ambassador to China, has arrived in Beijing, where he is likely to stress his close ties to Trump as he tries to improve relations between the world’s two largest economies.
“It is an honor to represent President Trump as the U.S. Ambassador to China,” Perdue said on X. “I am ready to get to work here and make America safer, stronger, and more prosperous.”
Perdue, 75, a former Republican senator from Georgia who was sworn in last week, replaces veteran diplomat Nicholas Burns as U.S. ambassador. He spent much of his 40-year international business career outsourcing manufacturing to Asia but became known in the Senate for his hawkish stance on China and its ruling Chinese Communist Party.
The Chinese Foreign Affairs Ministry said it was willing to “facilitate” Perdue’s work on U.S.-China relations.
“We have always approached and handled the relationship based on the principles of mutual respect, peaceful coexistence and win-win cooperation,” spokesperson Lin Jian said at a regular briefing in Beijing. “We also hope the U.S. will work with China in the same direction.”
