US: Trump to tap Iowa governor as China ambassador

NEW YORK (AA) - President-elect Donald Trump will name Iowa's Republican Gov. Terry Branstad as his China ambassador, according to media reports Wednesday.

Branstad, a personal friend of Chinese President Xi Jinping, is interested in accepting the position, according to The Associated Press that cited a senior official from Trump's transition team.

Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Lu Kang on Wednesday welcomed the development. "Mr. Branstad is an old friend of the Chinese people, and we welcome his greater contribution to the development of China-U.S. relations,” Khan said at a daily press conference.

Running on a platform of “America first”, Trump has accused China of taking advantage of the U.S. in the two superpowers’ colossal trade ties, and even floated the idea of introducing prohibitive tariffs on Chinese goods entering the U.S. market.

The president-elect courted controversy last week when he had a protocol-breaking telephone conversation with Taiwan President Tsai Ing-Wen. His move elicited concern from Washington and Beijing, with the White House rushing to reaffirm commitment to the U.S.’s long-running “One China” policy.