Must improve 'important' relationship with China: Donald Trump

WASHINGTON: President-elect Donald Trump has said the US-China relationship is one of the most important relationships that his administration has to improve, days after he slammed Beijing for currency manipulation and military build up in South China Sea.

"One of the most important relationships we must improve is our relationship with China," Trump said at a public meeting in Iowa on Thursday.
However, he also accused China of being a manipulative economy.

"The nation of China is responsible for almost half of America's trade deficit. China is not a market economy. They have got a lot of help and that is why we designate them a non-market economy," Trump said.

"They haven't played by the rules and they know it's time that they are going to start. They have got to. We are all in this thing together. We have got to play by the rules," he said.

"You have the massive theft of intellectual property, putting unfair taxes on our companies. Not helping with the menace of North Korea like they should and at will and massive devaluation of their currency and product dumping," he said.

"Other than that, they have been wonderful, right?" he said. Trump has picked Iowa Governor Terry Branstad as his next Ambassador to China.

"The man I have chosen as our ambassador to China is the man who knows China and likes China...and he knows how to deliver results and he will deliver results just like he has been delivering it for 23 years for the great farmers and for the people of Iowa," he said.

Trump said that Branstad has been on six trade missions to China and is highly respected by all the Chinese officials. He is also a native of Iowa.

"I know we will succeed in bringing our jobs back and I also know that China who has been so tough and so competitive...but I will tell you what, we're going to have mutual respect," Trump said.