Branstad departure from Bejing confirmed

BEIJING — The United States Embassy in China has confirmed that Lake Mills native, former Iowa governor and US Ambassador to China Terry Branstad will step down from his duties next month. 

Branstad, appointed by President Donald Trump in 2017, confirmed his decision in a phone call with Trump last week, the U.S. Embassy said in a statement Monday. It did not give a reason for his departure.

Branstad was quoted at an embassy staff meeting on Monday saying, “I am proudest of our work in getting the phase one trade deal and delivering tangible results for our communities back home.”

Word of his departure leaked out earlier in the day when Secretary of State Mike Pompeo thanked Branstad on Twitter for his service. Pompeo said in a follow-up tweet that Branstad contributed to a rebalancing of U.S.-China relations to make them results-oriented, reciprocal and fair.

Branstad was embroiled in a recent controversy when China’s official People’s Daily newspaper rejected a column that he had submitted. It wasn’t clear if his departure was related to the piece. 

The 73-year-old Branstad served as Iowa’s governor for 22 years over two spans from 1983 to 1999, and from 2011 to 2017. 

His wife, daughter and his daughter’s family accompanied him to China in 2017, but Governor Kim Reynolds told reporters earlier this year that Branstad’s family returned to Iowa due to the coronavirus.

 

(The Associated Press and Radio Iowa contributed to this report)