Ivanka Trump’s fashion and homewares business received initial approval from the Chinese government for five trademark applications days before her father announced a U-turn in policy on ZTE, a Chinese telecoms firm that has admitted breaking US sanctions on Iran and North Korea.
Chinese trademark documents detailing the approvals were made public by Citizens for Ethics and Responsibility in Washington (Crew), a watchdog group. The group said the first daughter and White House adviser, who represents the US at diplomatic events, already held more than a dozen trademarks in China and multiple pending applications. Donald Trump holds more than 100 trademarks in China.
The five approvals, for applications made in 2017, came through on 7 May. On 13 May, Trump made the surprise announcement that he had instructed the Department of Commerce to help get ZTE “back into business”.
In April, the US government accused ZTE of misleading regulators after it settled charges of violating sanctions against North Korea and Iran. Its punishment was to be banned from US suppliers for seven years.
The latest registration approvals won by Ivanka Trump Marks llc include business trademark rights on goods including bathmats, textiles and baby blankets. While Ivanka Trump has stepped back from running the company while serving as an adviser to her father, she continues to profit from the business.
In the last three months, with what experts say is unusual speed, China has granted final approval for 13 trademarks and provisional approval for eight more. According to the New York Times, Ivanka Trump now holds 34 trademarks in the world’s second-largest economy. While she does not have a large business in China, most of her US imports are shipped from there. Clothing has been exempted from tariffs threatened by her father as part of his aggressive trade policy.
