Ambassador to China nominee Perdue refers to Bretton Woods when asked about Chinese influence at Panama Canal at confirmation hearing

Senate Foreign Relations Committee member Mike Lee and nominee to be US Ambassador to China David Perdue discuss how Perdue would frame the Panama Canal's importance to the United States during his Beijing interactions, Perdue called it a thoughtful, deep question exemplifying the difference between the democratic international system established at Bretton Woods in 1944 and the authoritarian influenced world order China sought, where the economy would be state controlled, ending free market capitalism, emphasized the Panama Canal's strategic importance to the United States, noting over 50,000 people died building it before "one of our presidents gave it away."