Trump picks Iowa Gov. Terry Branstad to be ambassador to China

Donald Trump has picked Terry Branstad, the long-serving Iowa governor who proved a loyal and unflinching surrogate in the presidential race, to be the ambassador to China, the president-elect’s transition team said Wednesday.

The choice of Branstad is likely to reassure Chinese leaders, who have been rattled by Trump’s rhetoric about China and his breaking with decades of protocol to reach out to Taiwan. Branstad has deep ties to China and a personal friendship with Chinese President Xi Jinping. A spokesman for the Chinese Foreign Ministry called Branstad “an old friend” of China.

Trump’s decision to appoint Branstad to the post was first reported by Bloomberg News.

The move signals to China that Trump is not looking to escalate tensions, despite an antagonistic tone toward the country that has endured beyond the campaign and into his transition. Trump regularly warns of massive tariffs on Chinese imports if trade terms are not renegotiated to be more favorable to the United States, and he accuses the country of manipulating its currency.

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Trump further alarmed Beijing when he accepted a congratulatory phone call last Friday from Tsai Ing-wen, the leader of Taiwan, an island nation China regards as a renegade province.

After a campaign in which China was often the target of Trump’s ire, the choice of Branstad is the first big move Trump has made to tone down the friction.

Branstad was one of the more visible establishment Republican leaders on the campaign trail with Trump. His son, Eric, ran Trump’s general election campaign in Iowa. When a video in which Trump boasted of his uninvited sexual advances surfaced in October, Branstad did not join other Republicans in distancing himself from the campaign. He said he accepted the candidate’s apology and warned Iowans that only Trump could protect the country from Islamic extremists.

Branstad is in his sixth term as governor. He is the longest-serving governor in U.S. history.

The China post could prove to be his toughest assignment yet. Trump has repeatedly vowed that he will drive a hard bargain with China, a position that is popular with the displaced factory workers who fueled Trump’s victory but risks touching off a trade war that could prove damaging to the American economy.

Branstad’s relationship with Xi stretches back to 1985, when the now-Chinese president visited the United States while working as an agricultural officer. In 2012, Branstad hosted a dinner in Iowa that Xi attended while serving as the Chinese vice president.

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