Xi Jinping, then China's vice president, greets Iowa Gov. Terry Branstad, and his wife, Chris, on Feb. 15, 2012, in Muscatine (Photo by Keven E. Schmidt)
By James Q. Lynch, Quad-City Times
CEDAR RAPIDS — In a move likely to calm diplomatic and trade concerns created by Donald Trump’s rhetoric during and after the presidential campaign, the president-elect has tapped Iowa Gov. Terry Branstad to be his ambassador to China.
Branstad, whose familiarity with the world’s second-largest economy includes leading six trade missions to China, has a long, personal relationship with Chinese President Xi Jinping.