US envoy nominee Branstad member of Masons, banned in China

Trump will “bring good jobs to our country, and make us more competitive”, Branstad said.

Reynolds encouraged Ernst to run for local office (Ernst served as Montgomery County Auditor), recruited Ernst to succeed her in the Iowa Senate and encouraged her to run for the U.S. Senate in 2014.

U.S. Sen. Charles Grassley, R-Iowa, praised Branstad as a “straight shooter with a successful track record as a chief executive”.

The possible pick had been circulating for weeks, but Jason Miller, spokesman for Trump’s transition team, confirmed it on Wednesday morning.

Gov. Branstad, obviously as Iowa’s long-serving governor, is someone who has considerable public-policy experience, but also someone who has a lot of experience and [a] great grasp of trade issues, agriculture issues, has a tremendous understanding of China and Chinese people… So this means there are no formal diplomatic relations between the United States and Taiwan – but Trump’s decision to take Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen’s call could pose problems for relations between the USA and China. What the Chinese government has been doing is just the opposite－preventing the yuan from depreciating.

President-Elect Donald Trump has tapped Branstad to serve as U.S. Ambassador to China, an honor that Branstad accepted this week.

The appointment of Branstad as U.S. ambassador to China would also mean more trade relations between his homestate and the country. Gov. Terry Branstad’s plans to be a diplomat in President-elect Donald Trump’s administration means attention will soon zero in on Reynolds, who could play a pivotal role in a GOP-majority statehouse that’s itching to pass conservative legislation long derailed by Democrats. He became the president of China less than a year later.

China welcomed the appointment of Iowa Governor Terry Branstad as the future US ambassador to Beijing on Wednesday, while criticizing Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s decision to visit Pearl Harbor in late December.

“It’s a clear sign for Trump to establish good interaction with Xi, so it’s very positive in this regard”.

Leaders of the Iowa Legislature released glowing statements regarding Branstad’s experience and unique relationship with Xi. Vilsack, a Democrat and former governor of Iowa, called Branstad, a Republican, a tireless advocate for trade and a proud advocate for USA agriculture. Trump gets a loyal friend in Beijing. “We look forward to Governor Branstad moving into this new role”.

Branstad’s established personal connection with China could help smooth a relationship defined largely by worldwide security matters and by bilateral trade, where the massive US trade deficit with the country is a source of friction.

Branstad was a loyal supporter of Trump once the billionaire was the presumptive Republican Party nominee, and Branstad’s elder son, Eric, was chairman of Trump’s winning campaign for Iowa’s six Electoral College votes.

China is one of Iowa’s biggest export markets, so Branstad is well-placed to deal with China-U.S. trade issues, Professor Huang Jing, an expert on Chinese politics at the National University of Singapore.

Branstad has had a long-standing business and personal relationship with Xi since they first met in 1985, when Xi was an agricultural official sent to lead a Chinese delegation to study American agriculture. A year later, Branstad hosted a dinner for Xi, who had become vice president, at the state Capitol in Des Moines.

China is an important market for US corn in all forms including the second-largest purchaser of USA ethanol last marketing year; and a critical buyer of USA distiller’s dried grains (DDGS).

Some say Iowa exports in particular could benefit. Thomas said he hopes to work with Branstad on future alumni events there.

In an interview with Time, published to mark his accolade as the magazine’s “person of 2016”, Trump said he also asked Apple to build a plant in the United States.