US president-elect Donald Trump continues to make nominations for his Cabinet and US agencies, with most of his picks being staunchly against Beijing.
For US ambassador to China, Trump has tapped former US senator David Perdue. This appointment makes it crystal clear that Trump has no intention of letting China continue to steal from the US while infiltrating it in a surreptitious quasi-war, harming world peace and stability.
Originally earning a name for himself in the business world, Perdue made his start with Chinese supply chains as a manager for several US firms. He later served as the CEO of Reebok and Dollar General, and founded his own trading firm. Most of his work is closely related to supply chain outsourcing to China, so when it comes to China’s product dumping in US markets, Perdue has first-hand experience in dealing with the issue. Trump praised him for serving as a Fortune 500 CEO. The ambassador-to-be also lived in Hong Kong and Singapore, and is relatively acquainted with the way things in Asia operate and on Asian affairs.
From 2015 to 2021, he served in the US Senate and on the Senate’s Military Affairs and Foreign Affairs Committees. He is the only Republican senator to have served on both committees, also chairing the Senate Armed Services Subcommittee on Seapower. He is also a well-known advocate of Taiwan in the US government, having cosponsored a 2015 bill to support Taiwan’s observer status in Interpol, a 2017 bill for Taiwan to attend the World Health Assembly, and in 2019 called for the National Defense Authorization Act to be amended to include language supportive of Taiwan.
In 2018, he jointly submitted a letter to the media, warning that the US needed a long-term plan to put a stop to Chinese expansion. In September, he once more submitted a letter to the media, warning the US that China harbors ambitions to replace the US as a leading country in the world and has launched a surreptitious quasi-war that drapes over all areas, including in economics, technology, military affairs and culture. He reminded the US that it needs to take in a proper view of reality and plan long-term policies to curb China’s influence, strictly limit US technological exports to China, work more with allied militaries and enhance the US’ technological innovation capabilities.
Trump’s appointment of Perdue sends a clear message. The US’ restrictions on tech exports to China, the near-total enclosure of China alongside Indo-Pacific allies and the selection of this advocate to fight for the US, forcing China to sit down and be on its best behavior, could be the first of Trump’s hard-ball foreign policy acts.
Speaking first and seizing the initiative could force China to accept this lone way forward. If China does not, it could be further hemmed in. Perdue’s mission also shows us that Trump would further support Taiwan’s forging ahead in the international arena. He would no longer allow China to suppress Taiwan.
Even with Trump about a month away from retaking his oath of office, the situation is already helping Taiwan. Nonetheless, if Taiwanese want help, they must first help themselves.
While the US supports Taiwan, there are some Taiwanese who would betray their own country for meager returns, enraptured in fantasies that make them willing to serve as “united front” tools for China and who show far less support for their home compared with Perdue. Such pro-Beijing elements ought to be ashamed of themselves.
Taiwanese must wake up and show indomitable resolve to defend the nation’s sovereignty. Doing so would gain Taiwan the world’s support and respect.
Tommy Lin is chairman of the Formosa Republican Association and director of the Taiwan United Nations Alliance.
Translated by Tim Smith
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