Chinese Economy Would Collapse If US Buyers Cut Support, Says Trump’s China Envoy Pick

David Perdue, a former Fortune 500 CEO and senator, pledges to educate Americans about the dangers posed by communist China.

David Perdue, nominee to serve as the U.S. ambassador to China, before his Senate Foreign Relations Committee confirmation hearing in the Dirksen Senate Office Building in Washington on April 3, 2025. Kayla Bartkowski/Getty Images

WASHINGTON—President Donald Trump’s nominee for ambassador to China told lawmakers on Thursday that the American buyers could deal the Chinese economy a fatal blow by stopping the injection of money.

David Perdue, a former Fortune 500 CEO and one-term senator for Georgia, said in his confirmation hearing that it’s time for the United States to take a stand against Beijing’s unfair trade practices after decades of turning a blind eye.