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China welcomes US envoy
China welcomes US envoy
Source:Reuters-Global Times
Published: 2016/12/7 23:03:39
Ties with President Xi could help Branstad ease tensions
China said on Wednesday the governor of the US state of Iowa, Terry Branstad, was an "old friend," following a report that he had accepted an offer from US President-elect Donald Trump to become the next US ambassador to China.
"We welcome his greater contribution to the development of China-US relations," foreign ministry spokesman Lu Kang told a daily briefing on Wednesday.
"The US ambassador to China serves as an important bridge linking the governments of the US and China. We are willing to work with whomever that takes this position to strive for the continued, sound and steady development of bilateral ties," Lu said.
If Branstad's appointment is confirmed, it may help ease trade tensions between the two countries, the world's two biggest agricultural producers, diplomats and trade experts said.
Branstad called Chinese President Xi Jinping a "long-time friend" when Xi visited Iowa in February 2012, only nine months before he became Chinese leader.
It suggests that Trump may be ready to take a less combative stance toward the world's second-largest economy than many expect, trade experts and diplomats said.
China is one of Iowa's biggest export markets, so Branstad is well-placed to deal with China-US trade issues, said 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 ease US access to China's leadership, diplomats and trade experts said.
Still, they said his many years running of Iowa, the top US state for the production of corn, soybeans and pigs, may not have prepared him for the more delicate tasks of diplomacy with China.
During Xi's 2012 trip, Chinese soybean buyers announced they would buy more than $4 billion worth of US soybeans that year.
Since then, the US has grown more dependent on Chinese imports, such as oil and corn, as global oversupply has hurt prices. The volume of US 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.
Trump is scheduled to meet Branstad on Tuesday, his transition team said without elaboration.
Trump's dealings with China have come into focus since Taiwan leader Tsai Ing-wen called him last week to congratulate him on winning the election.
The Taiwan Affairs Office of the State Council of the Chinese mainland on Saturday reiterated its stance against "Taiwan independence."
Trump's conversation with Tsai was the first such contact with Taiwan by a US president-elect or president since President Jimmy Carter adopted the one-China policy in 1979.
http://www.globaltimes.cn/content/1022452.shtml
