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Former Georgia Republican Sen. David Perdue was sworn successful arsenic U.S. ambassador to China Wednesday, with President Donald Trump remarking connected the timing of the ceremonial arsenic commercialized talks betwixt the 2 nations are acceptable to footwear off.
"We're swearing successful our adjacent ambassador to the People's Republic of China. What timing, David. What timing? Only you could person picked this timing," Trump quipped arsenic Secretary of State Marco Rubio prepared to curse Perdue in.
The Senate confirmed Perdue April 29 successful a 67–29 vote. His swearing-in ceremonial comes arsenic China and the U.S. acceptable to statesman commercialized talks pursuing Trump's tariffs connected the federation successful caller months.
"Our caller ambassador brings to this presumption a beingness of acquisition astatine the highest levels of concern and politics," Trump said. "And helium is astatine the highest level. Over 4 decades successful business, helium roseate to pb respective large American corporations, including arsenic the president and CEO of the footwear elephantine Reebok, wherever helium did precise good and did a large job. And aboriginal the CEO of Dollar General. Likewise, helium did a large job. David besides lived and worked successful Singapore and Hong Kong for respective years, processing a wealthiness of acquisition negotiating and doing tremendous concern deals for tons of antithetic leaders that helium worked with."
New U.S. Ambassador to China David Perdue (R) speaks during his swearing-in ceremonial arsenic U.S. President Donald Trump looks connected successful the Oval Office astatine the White House connected May 07, 2025 successful Washington, DC. (Getty Images)
Trump added that Perdue "say hullo to President XI erstwhile you're implicit there."
The Trump medication has leveled tariffs arsenic precocious arsenic 145% connected Chinese goods arsenic the president looks to bring parity to the nation's chronic commercialized deficit with overseas countries. Trump paused his April 2 reciprocal tariff program connected dozens of nations successful April arsenic countries called connected the medication to marque commercialized deals, but helium upped the ante connected China arsenic the state rebuked Trump's commercialized policies with tariffs of its own, including 125% work taxes connected U.S. goods.
Chinese President Xi Jinping successful a meeting. (Minh Hoang/The Associated Press)
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer are scheduled to conscionable with Chinese counterparts implicit the play successful Switzerland to sermon economical matters, Bessent said connected Fox News Tuesday.
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt speaks arsenic US Secretary of Treasury Scott Bessent looks connected during the regular briefing successful the Brady Briefing Room of the White House successful Washington, DC, connected April 29, 2025. (Mandel Ngan/AFP via Getty Images)
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"We person shared interests," Bessent said. "This isn't sustainable, arsenic I said before, particularly connected the Chinese broadside — and, you know, 145%, 125% is the equivalent of an embargo. We don't privation to decouple — what we privation is just trade."
China's Ministry of Commerce said Friday that officials were "evaluating" an connection from the Trump medication to clasp commercialized talks connected the 145% U.S. tariffs connected Chinese goods.
"The U.S. has precocious taken the inaugural connected galore occasions to convey accusation to China done applicable parties, saying it hopes to speech with China," the connection said, according to Reuters.
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"Attempting to usage talks arsenic a pretext to prosecute successful coercion and extortion would not work," the connection added.
Trump and the medication antecedently person said they were consenting to clasp commercialized negotiations with China, including the president saying April 8, "We are waiting for their call. It volition happen."
WASHINGTON, DC - MAY 07: (L-R) U.S. President Donald Trump, Bonnie Perdue and David Perdue airs for a photograph during the swearing-in ceremonial for David Perdue to beryllium the caller U.S. Ambassador to China successful the Oval Office astatine the White House connected May 07, 2025 successful Washington, DC. (Getty Images)
Trump continued during the ceremonial that Perdue volition assistance pb the complaint connected ending the travel of deadly synthetic opioid fentanyl into the U.S., an contented Trump has railed against portion leveraging tariffs connected China to extremity the amerciable drugs from entering the U.S.
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"They person to halt fentanyl from coming in," Trump said. "And that'll beryllium a precise large part. And I had that knowing with President Xi earlier I left, past time. And we had a deal, and helium would person honored the deal. But erstwhile Biden came in, of course, thing ever happened with him. He didn't cognize what the hellhole helium was doing. But that would person saved a batch of lives astatine predetermination caused america a batch of lives and a batch of heartache. The information that we went done 4 years of misery, and you look astatine what's coming done the borderline and, the occupation of getting murderers retired of our country, truthful many, truthful galore atrocious things happened."
Fox News Digital's Ashley Carnahan contributed to this report.
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