A Senate panel on Tuesday easily approved Iowa Gov. Terry Branstad’s nomination to be the U. S. ambassador to China, a move that all but assures full Senate confirmation of President Donald Trump’s pick for the key diplomatic post.
A Senate panel on Tuesday easily approved Iowa Gov. Terry Branstad’s nomination to be the U. S. ambassador to China, a move that all but assures full Senate confirmation of President Donald Trump’s pick for the key diplomatic post.
Members of the Foreign Relations Committee approved Branstad by voice vote. Sen. Ben Cardin of Maryland, the committee’s top Democrat, described Branstad as “fully qualified” for the job at a time when the Trump administration is pushing the Chinese to act more aggressively to defuse North Korea’s nuclear weapons program.
During his confirmation hearing last week, Branstad pledged to confront Beijing on a range of thorny subjects, including human rights and trade. Branstad told senators he plans to leverage his decades-long relationship with Chinese President Xi Jinping to advance U.
