As Donald Trump and Chinese president Xi Jinping dined on Dover sole and New York strip steak earlier this month, thousands of miles away in China a government office quietly approved trademarks that could benefit the US president’s family.

On the day the president’s daughter Ivanka Trump met the Chinese leader, China granted preliminary approval for three new trademarks for her namesake brand, covering jewellery, bags and spa service, according to official documents.

Her company, Ivanka Trump Marks LLC, has been granted four additional trademarks since her father’s inauguration and has 32 pending, according to the Associated Press, which first reported the new approvals.

Donald Trump’s White House has created a minefield of ethics concerns, according to critics, and the president and his top officials represent one of the wealthiest cabinets in history, with business empires spanning the globe. Ivanka Trump was appointed assistant to the president last month, after previously saying she would not join her father’s administration.

Ivanka Trump no longer manages her clothing, jewellery and accessories brand, but still owns the business and is frequently seen wearing clothes from her own collection. She has put her business in a trust, run by family members.

“Ivanka has so many China ties and conflicts, yet she and Jared appear deeply involved in China contacts and policy. I would never have allowed it,” Norman Eisen, a former chief White House ethics lawyer under president Barack Obama, told the AP. “For their own sake, and the country’s, Ivanka and Jared should consider stepping away from China matters.”

Facebook Twitter Pinterest Ivanka Trump was present when Donald Trump met Xi Jinping and his wife, Peng Liyuan, in Florida this month. Photograph: Xinhua / Barcroft Images

US law prohibits government officials from handling government matters that could enrich their business or their spouse’s. Ivanka Trump’s products are made almost entirely in China, and US policy on trade or China’s currency could benefit her financially.

Jamie Gorelick, Ivanka Trump’s lawyer, said in a statement: “The federal ethics rules do not require you to recuse from any matter concerning a foreign country just because a business that you have an ownership interest in has a trademark application pending there.

“Ivanka will recuse from particular matters where she has a conflict of interest or where the White House counsel determines her participation would present appearance or impartiality concerns.”

Gorelick did not respond to questions about the trademarks creating the appearance of a conflict of interest.

Ivanka Trump has been on a charm offensive with China over the past few months, often with her Mandarin-learning daughter in tow. Her five-year-old daughter Arabella sang a traditional song for Xi during his US visit, and the performance was later praised in Chinese state media. The two also attended a Lunar New Year celebration at the Chinese embassy in Washington.

But not all US business are benefitting from the new administration. In a recent report, American businesses in China said they face one of the toughest climates in decades, largely due to increasing animosity towards foreign firms and slowing economic growth.

Barriers to investment remain high, the American Chamber of Commerce in China said, despite China’s attempts to project an image of globalisation and openness. About 81% of the chamber’s members said they felt unwelcome in 2016, an increase from 77% in 2015.

But Trump family brands increasingly appear to be welcomed with open arms in the world’s second largest economy.

Shortly after his election in November and after a decade of fighting in court, Donald Trump was granted trademark protection for his name in the construction industry. In February, the Trump name was granted an additional 38 trademarks for a range of uses including hotels, insurance and bodyguard services.

Those approvals have raised concerns with ethics experts, and Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington, a nonprofit focusing on public officials, has launched a lawsuit saying the trademarks were part of a wider list of actions that showed Trump had violated the constitution.