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Trump Picks Iowa Governor Branstad As US Ambassador To China, Beijing Calls Him "Old Friend"
Zero Hedge ^
| 12/07/2016
Posted on 12/07/2016 9:00:24 AM PST by SeekAndFind
As reported in Frontrunning, President-elect Donald Trump will nominate Iowa Governor Terry Branstad as the next U.S. ambassador to China, choosing a longstanding friend of Beijing after rattling the world's second-largest economy by speaking to Taiwan's president. Earlier in Beijing, Foreign Ministry spokesman Lu Kang called Branstad an "old friend" of China when asked about a report on the appointment, although he added Beijing would work with any U.S. ambassador.
The appointment of Branstad will likely ease trade tensions between the two countries, the world's two biggest agricultural producers, diplomats and trade experts said according to Reuters. It also suggests that Trump may be ready to take a less combative stance towards China than many expected, the experts said.
"We welcome him to play a greater role in advancing the development of China-U.S. relations," he told a daily news briefing. Branstad has likewise called Chinese President Xi Jinping a "longtime friend" when Xi visited Iowa in February 2012, only nine months before he became the Chinese leader.
Xi visited Iowa in 1985 on an agricultural research trip when he led a delegation from Hebei Province. He returned 27 years later and reunited with some of the people he had met.
Why an Iowa governor?
For one, China is one of Iowa's biggest export markets, so Branstad is well-placed to deal with China-U.S. trade issues, said Professor Huang Jing, an expert on Chinese politics at the National University of Singapore. "This really sends a message that Donald Trump wants to handle China at the bilateral relationship level," he said.
Branstad's personal ties with Xi could also help to ease U.S. access to Beijing's leadership, the diplomats and trade experts said, although they warned that his many years running Iowa, the top U.S. state for production of corn, soybeans and pigs, may not have prepared him for the more delicate tasks of diplomacy with Beijing. During Xi's 2012 trip, Chinese soybean buyers announced they would buy more than $4 billion in U.S. soybeans that year.
Since then, the United States has grown more reliant on China's voracious appetite for commodities to spur demand for everything from oil to corn as global oversupply has hurt prices. Volumes of U.S. agricultural exports to China hit record levels in 2015. "It's natural that they should continue this good relationship with China," said Pan Chenjun, senior analyst at Rabobank in China.
Still, Branstad will have his plate full trying to smooth over long-running tensions with China, which has seen its share of trades spats with the US in recent years. Specific U.S. trade concerns include allegations that China is dumping steel and aluminum in global markets below the cost of production, hurting American producers. In the agricultural sector, the U.S. has been unable to get Beijing to lift anti-dumping measures on U.S. broiler chicken products and an animal feed ingredient known as distillers' dried grains (DDGS).
TOPICS: Breaking News; Foreign Affairs; Government; US: Iowa
KEYWORDS: agribusiness; ambassador; branstad; cabinet; china; chinaambassador; corn; terrybranstad; trump; trumpcabinet; trumpchina; trumptransition
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To: slatimer
Thank you for the G2. Great to know that IA will remain under good GOP executive leadership.
21
posted on
12/07/2016 9:53:04 AM PST
by
NohSpinZone
(First thing we do, let's kill all the lawyers)
To: Extremely Extreme Extremist
Hes been Governor of Iowa since Iowa became a friggin state.Ever since Harold Hughes' reign of error ended, either Terry Branstad or Bob Ray have been governor more often than not. I do not think Terry B. has been an unalloyed success (a lot of what is wrong with Iowa happened on the watch of our two Republican "governors for life"), but Tom Vilsack certainly made him look good by comparison.
This is probably a good move in many ways. The man needs a change of pace, and Kim Reynolds wouldn't be the worst successor.
Mr. niteowl77
22
posted on
12/07/2016 10:02:38 AM PST
by
niteowl77
(Don't need no Bushes. Don't need no Clintons. Don't need no fooling around.)
To: 2ndDivisionVet
If you know him, is he a globalist? A statist? A gun-grabber?
To: backwoods-engineer
24
posted on
12/07/2016 10:16:37 AM PST
by
2ndDivisionVet
(You cannot invade the mainland US. There'd be a rifle behind every blade of grass.)
To: backwoods-engineer
He’s an all round Conservative great guy. I’ve known him since the rocks were still warm and I’m proud to call him a personal friend.
25
posted on
12/07/2016 10:22:14 AM PST
by
Iowa Granny
(Clintion ruined a dress, but Obama ruined a Nation.)
To: Oldeconomybuyer
Yes, and since DDGS is a byproduct of ethanol manufacturing this is a double win for agriculture producers.
26
posted on
12/07/2016 10:32:56 AM PST
by
bigbob
(We have better coverage than Verizon - Can You Hear Us Now?)
To: bigbob
Ethanol is big-ag crony capitalism. It would not exist without government regulations and subsidy.
27
posted on
12/07/2016 11:00:26 AM PST
by
Oldeconomybuyer
(The problem with socialism is that you eventually run out of other people's money.)
To: Extremely Extreme Extremist
That long? So he’s an career politician? When China agrees with us, I don’t feel good.
28
posted on
12/07/2016 11:34:23 AM PST
by
max americana
(For the 9th time FIRED LIBERALS from our company at this election, and every election since 2008)
To: SeekAndFind
China is one of Iowa’s biggest export markets
US Ag exports are going to be where the Chicoms threaten retaliation against anything President Trump does.
29
posted on
12/07/2016 11:53:16 AM PST
by
lodi90
To: SeekAndFind
“..may not have prepared him for the more delicate tasks of diplomacy ..”
.
like Obama’s ambassadors of political hacks, homosexuals, and donors were prepared for the more delicate tasks of diplomacy??
give me a break - such poor reporting
30
posted on
12/07/2016 12:46:48 PM PST
by
elpadre
(AfganistaMr Obama said the goal was to "disrupt, dismantle and defeat al-hereQaeda" and its allies.)
To: 2ndDivisionVet
Branstad has been dealing with China most of his career. There is a local town near me (Muscatine) that some of the current high leadership of China spent quite a bit of time in.
This was a good pick. Branstand knows, and is known, by Chinese government leadership.
31
posted on
12/07/2016 7:08:56 PM PST
by
redgolum
To: Leep
He’s 70 and not in the best health.
Looks like the Trump Administration is initially setting up to go easy on China and act tough against Russia.
32
posted on
12/07/2016 7:19:41 PM PST
by
jjotto
("Ya could look it up!")
To: jjotto
Who told you he isn’t in the best of health? I was unaware. I suspect it is heresay.
33
posted on
12/07/2016 8:59:37 PM PST
by
Iowa Granny
(Clintion ruined a dress, but Obama ruined a Nation.)
To: 2ndDivisionVet
Perhaps you should be advising Trump.
34
posted on
12/07/2016 10:53:35 PM PST
by
Crucial
To: max americana
Well China may like him, but that is good, because you want someone China likes when it comes time to deliver the bad news that Trump will inevitably dole out to China.
To: BigEdLB
I believe he has been governor for 18 years.
36
posted on
12/08/2016 1:35:29 PM PST
by
Theodore R.
(Let's not squander the golden opportunity of 2017.)
To: BigEdLB
He was elected to his sixth four-year term as Iowa governor in 2014.
37
posted on
12/08/2016 1:47:50 PM PST
by
jjotto
("Ya could look it up!")
To: Iowa Granny
I’ve spent time with him several times in the last few months. He sometimes seems much older than his 70 years. There’s a reason Kim Reynolds has been doing a lot of the work, and that Bill Northey and others were already considering a run next time.
38
posted on
12/08/2016 1:57:25 PM PST
by
jjotto
("Ya could look it up!")
To: jjotto
I sat with him at the Iowa/Nebraska game. He seemed fine to me. I noticed nothing different about him.
39
posted on
12/09/2016 10:05:43 AM PST
by
Iowa Granny
(Clintion ruined a dress, but Obama ruined a Nation.)
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