Then-U.S. Ambassador to China Terry Branstad greets Chinese President Xi Jinping, a long-time friend. (Courtesy of Land Investment Expo) Former U.S. Ambassador to China Terry Branstad said the Iowa Legislature must walk a “fine line” with bills that would restrict investments by Chinese and Iowa governmental entities. The Iowa House and Senate are moving to ban various forms of investment between the state and the People’s Republic of China. Examples of restrictions include the ownership of real property by Chinese nationals and investment of public and state board of regents funds in companies that are owned or controlled by the Chinese military or government. Iowa and China have a long, storied connection stretching back to the mid-1980s, when then-Gov. Branstad and then-provincial official Xi Jinping met during a trip to study American agriculture. It has continued since then. “One of the things I did as governor is I traveled the world to try to not only market our products, but also to encourage investment,” Branstad said. “I think it’s a fine line the Legislature needs to thread, to try to protect our interests, but not be so restrictive as to prevent economic development opportunities that will create good jobs […]
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