WASHINGTON (AP) — The Senate on Tuesday confirmed former Sen. David Perdue as ambassador to China, just as the U.S. and China are locked in a tariff showdown that threatens to redefine diplomatic relations between the world’s two largest economies.

Former Sen. David Perdue faced his confirmation vote in the U.S. Senate on Tuesday; after passing cloture by a relatively wide margin Monday evening.

The Senate confirmed former Republican Georgia Sen. David Perdue as the new U.S. ambassador to China. Perdue, who has business experience in Asia, including China, will be on the front lines in Beijing of the fraught U.

The view that the Chinese leadership was desperate to negotiate a trade deal, to avoid economic pain that could destabilize Chinese society and threaten the Chinese Communist Party’s monopoly on power, is common among China hawks in the United States. This analysis is partly accurate, but it has led many to draw false conclusions.

Also in today’s newsletter, Canada’s Carney prepares to take on Trump, and China’s copper stockpiles set to run out

Xi's Shanghai trip, his first to China's main international financial hub since November 2023, comes at a time when the tariff fight with the U.S. has raised the stakes for global