Iowa Gov. Terry Branstad is the front-runner to be named the United States ambassador to China, according to a report.
According to Bloomberg, Brandstad, a longtime friend of Chinese President Xi Jinping, is set to meet with members of President-elect Trump’s transition team this coming week, with a decision to follow potentially.
He is set to be in New York this coming week for meetings about Iowan economic development, according to the report, and meeting with the transition team are likely to be added.
Any potential move could come on the heels of Trump taking a call from the president of Taiwan, which could complicate relations with the Chinese. China does not recognize Taiwan as a nation state. Trump defended taking the call, pointing to the nearly $2 billion in military equipment the Taiwanese buy from the U.S.
Branstad has hinted that he is interested in the job, saying at his annual birthday fundraiser that he is not ruling out potentially taking on the post.
“I am not ruling anything out,” Branstad said, according to the Des Moines Register, after returning from an 8-day trade mission to China and Japan. “But you know my focus has always been here on Iowa and I want to serve the people of Iowa. I am really proud of what we did in this election and I am going to continue to work hard and accomplish as much as we can.”
Trump is set to appear in Des Moines next Thursday as part of his “Thank You” victory tour. He won the state’s six electoral defeats after topping former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton by nearly 10 points.
