WASHINGTON, Dec 6, 2024 (BSS/AFP) - US President-elect Donald Trump named political ally and former Georgia senator David Perdue as his pick to be ambassador to China, a key trade partner the Republican has promised to impose punishing tariffs on.

"Tonight, I am announcing that former U.S. Senator, David Perdue, has accepted my appointment as the next United States Ambassador to the People's Republic of China," Trump wrote on social media.

Perdue, 74, a business executive and politician, served as a senator for Georgia from 2015 to 2021, and failed in a bid for governor of the state in 2022.

If confirmed by the Senate, Perdue will play a key role in managing the relationship between the United States and China, the world's two largest economies. 

A Trump ally, he backed the former president's false claims regarding alleged fraud in the 2020 presidential election, which the billionaire Republican lost to Joe Biden.

A special grand jury had recommended indicting Perdue over those claims, but the district attorney ultimately declined to charge him in that case.

Trump ignited a trade war with China during his last term, and has promised to again weaponize the use of tariffs to prioritize US manufacturing. 

He hailed Perdue as a "loyal supporter" in his social media post, touting his business experience as making him well-suited for the diplomatic role in Beijing.