While Trump is preparing for Xi Jinpings visit, he still has no ambassador to China
US president Donald Trump will be hosting China’s president Xi Jinping at his Mar-a-Lago Florida private club, possibly as early as the first week of April, online media outlet Axios first reported. While prepping for the visit, though, the US president won’t be able to count on on-the ground insights from his chosen ambassador to China, since Terry Branstad is still governing Iowa.
The US has said it hopes the meeting will be a chance to address tensions in the US-China relationship over how to deal with North Korea, and over the deployment of a U.S. missile defence system in South Korea, another place where the US doesn’t presently have an ambassador. The White House didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment on diplomatic nominations and on Branstad’s confirmation process Tuesday (March 28).
“It’s the purpose of this meeting, of that kind of a meeting, to help defuse tensions over North Korea and the recent deployment of a THAAD military battery to South Korea,” White House press secretary Sean Spicer told reporters on March. 13, in relation to the Xi visit, without confirming the dates.
Trump announced even before taking office that he was appointing Branstad, the Republican governor of Iowa and an old friend of Xi, to be ambassador to China, but Branstad hasn’t yet been confirmed by the US Senate. Branstad’s name went on Jan. 20 to the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, chaired by Republican Bob Corker. Republicans have a majority in the Senate, but a hearing date has not yet been set.
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https://qz.com/943562/while-trump-is-preparing-for-xi-jinpings-visit-his-pick-for-ambassador-to-china-is-still-governing-iowa/