Walker blasts China, a key ag trading partner for Iowa

GOP presidential candidate Scott Walker is calling for the U.S. to rescind an invitation to the president of China, a country that's one of Iowa's key trade allies.

In a statement Monday, Walker said Chinese President Xi Jinping's invitation to the United States for an official state visit next month should be canceled because of China's role in sending financial markets tumbling.

Walker's position could potentially hurt him with agribusiness interests in Iowa, which is a central focus of Walker's presidential campaign strategy.

Iowa Gov. Terry Branstad and Xi are longtime friends, with a unique relationship nurtured over 30 years and strengthened by several high-profile meetings in recent years.

Asked about Branstad's reaction to Walker's anti-China stance Monday, Branstad spokesman Jimmy Centers told The Des Moines Register: "China is a valuable trading partner for Iowa and the state has had a friendly relationship with President Xi dating back to his first visit to Iowa in 1985."

Xi and Branstad first met 30 years ago when Xi visited Iowa as part of a sister-state exchange program. They have renewed their friendship relationship with back and forth visits, including on a trade mission Branstad led to China in 2013.

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Walker has leaned on his relationship with Iowa's governor to gain access to Xi, whose country is an important agricultural trading partner. Xi rarely meets with heads of state, governors and other high-ranking government officials, but Branstad took Walker, the governor of Wisconsin, and Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell with him on a visit with Xi to China's Great Hall of the People in April 2013.

Walker at that time talked about the importance of strengthening a relationship with one of the world's fastest-growing economies, but he appeared to reverse that stance Monday, saying China should be held accountable for undermining U.S. interests.

"Americans are struggling to cope with the fall in today's markets driven in part by China's slowing economy and the fact that they actively manipulate their economy," Walker's statement said. "Rather than honoring Chinese President Xi Jinping with an official state visit next month, President Obama should focus on holding China accountable over its increasing attempts to undermine U.S. interests. Given China's massive cyberattacks against America, its militarization of the South China Sea, continued state interference with its economy, and persistent persecution of Christians and human rights activists, President Obama needs to cancel the state visit. There's serious work to be done rather than pomp and circumstance. We need to see some backbone from President Obama on U.S.-China relations."

Walker's presidential rival Donald Trump, the new front-runner in Iowa, has long been critical of China. On Monday, Trump said in a video posted on Instagram: "I've been telling everybody for a long time. China's taking our jobs; they're taking our money."

Iowa politics watcher Kedron Bardwell, a professor at Simpson University, tweeted Monday: "Scott Walker parroting Trump. Again. Is he his own man, or is he running to be Trump's apprentice."