DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Governor Terry Branstad will meet with Chinese President Xi Jinping during an upcoming trade trip to China.
In a press release announcing the Monday meeting, Branstad says he is looking forward to the visit with an “old friend.”
Branstad departs for China Friday. He will be joined by two Republican governors and a delegation of people representing Iowa businesses and other organizations.
The group will visit Beijing and three other cities to meet with business leaders and government officials. They are scheduled to return on April 18th.
Branstad’s ties to Xi date back to a 1985 diplomatic trip that Xi took to Iowa, during Branstad’s first stint as governor. Xi returned to Iowa last February for stops in Muscatine and the Des Moines area.
Branstad last visited China in May 2012.
