Damned if you Perdue, damned if you Perdon’t: Four things to know about the next US ambassador to China

On Friday, US President-elect Donald Trump announced on his Truth Social platform that he has selected former Georgia Senator David Perdue as the next US ambassador to China.

Here are four things to know about Perdue:

He’s got deep ties to Asia: He lived in Hong Kong and Singapore during his decades-long career as an executive in the consumer goods industry, where he focused on sourcing suppliers from across Asia.

He has mixed feelings about tariffs: While Perdue has generally supported US tariffs and criticized China over market access and technology transfer, he expressed reservations in 2018 about Trump’s plan to impose sweeping tariffs on steel and aluminum imports, stating that such measures “need to be very targeted.”

He’s pro-engagement: Perdue has warned that US disengagement from China would be “a tremendous mistake” and co-authored an editorial advocating for the two countries to “seek agreements that produce ‘win-win’ solutions.”

He’s a close Trump ally: In the announcement of Perdue's appointment, Trump described him as "a loyal supporter and friend." Perdue has also previously challenged the legitimacy of Joe Biden's 2020 electoral victory.

Get smart: Perdue is a businessman, not a Cold Warrior.

• Like Trump, his approach to China will be more transactional than ideological.

Get smarter: If Perdue still has misgivings about Trump’s sweeping tariffs, he’ll probably keep them to himself.

The bottom line: As far as US ambassadors go, China could certainly do worse than Perdue.