Branstad nominated as ambassador to China

He also came under fire for accepting a congratulatory phone call last Friday from the president of Taiwan, which is not recognized as a sovereign nation by China. He has threatened to slap 45 percent tariffs on Chinese products and to label China a “currency manipulator”.

Now, he’s President-elect Donald Trump’s pick to be the US ambassador to China – which is not as random of a pick as it might seem.

FILE PHOTO – China Vice President Xi Jinping (L) is welcomed by Iowa Governor Terry Branstad in the governor’s office before the state dinner at the Iowa State Capitol in Des Moines, Iowa, U.S. February 15, 2012.

Dubuque native Kenneth Quinn served as the U.S. Ambassador to the Cambodia in the 1990s. “We are willing to work with whomever takes his position to strive for the continued, sound and steady development of bilateral ties”. They met in NY at Trump Tower on Tuesday.

Trump’s selection of Branstad for the post isn’t all that surprising.

The 57-year-old Reynolds was a first-term state senator when Branstad chose her to run for election as his lieutenant governor.

In the end, Trump carried Iowa – a state that Hillary Clinton had hoped to win, and one that had only voted once for the Republican presidential nominee since 1984 – by almost 10 points.

Branstad’s departure means Lieutenant Governor Kim Reynolds becomes Iowa’s first female governor.

The China post could prove to be Branstad’s toughest assignment yet.

Meanwhile, Trump was named Time magazine’s Person of the Year, a choice the magazine’s managing editor said was “straightforward” given that Trump had upended politics-as-usual during the course of his extraordinary race for the White House.

Taiwan split from China in 1949, but China still considers the island part of its territory and would consider it unacceptable for the U.S.to recognize Taiwan’s leader as a head of state.

“I$3 n the eyes of the Chinese, this is perhaps the first indication that he has given them that he understands the importance of maintaining a positive overall relationship”, adds Economy. “I get the feeling he’s not going to want piles and piles of briefings, he’s not going to wade through that”.

But their warm personal relationship may be soon put to the test.

Branstad’s office could not be immediately reached for comment on the report and Trump’s office did not immediately respond to a request for comment by Reuters, outside business hours.

“At this point, his tweets and remarks certainly have attracted the most attention”, he said.

The only masonic lodges that exist in China today are in Taiwan.

Knowing the Chinese leader personally is even more important than it might have been in the past.

Xi Jinping mad his first stop in the city in 1985 when he was a county level party leader from the Hebei Province. Xi returned to Iowa in 2012, just before he became president. Governor Branstad, the longest-serving governor in U.S. history, has assiduously cultivated business linkages between Iowa and the world’s most populous country.

“He successfully developed close trade ties with China while serving as chief executive of the Hawkeye State”.

In her statement, Reynolds lavished praise on Branstad, saying Trump’s nomination “speaks volumes about the character, talent and experience of Gov. Terry Branstad”.

Branstad spokesman Ben Hammes said the governor’s office is reviewing the issue and “plans to release more information on the transition in the days and weeks ahead”.

“I think having the governor there could only help all of us”, he said.

If Trump’s threats suggest the U.S. Branstad was re-elected to a sixth term in 2014.