A Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman here on Thursday said that no matter who becomes U.S. ambassador in Beijing,China is ready to work for sound and stable Sino-U.S. relations.
"U.S. ambassador to China acts as a bridge between the governments of the two countries," said Lu Kang at a routine daily briefing when asked to comment on reports that U.S. President-elect Donald Trump had chosen Iowa Governor Terry Branstad as his man in Beijing.
Branstad is an old friend of the Chinese people and has contributed a lot to Sino-U.S. exchanges, said Lu.
Lu added that China hopes to have more and more friends with whom to work on China's relationships with other countries.
Branstad, an early supporter of Trump, met with the president-elect in New York on Tuesday. He has accepted the offer, according to media reports.
Branstad, 70, has a close relationship with China, having visited many times. He was governor of Iowa between 1983 and 1999, and was elected again in 2011.