Branstad was planning to depart Beijing early next month and return to Iowa, the embassy said.
Over the weekend, Trump had said Branstad would return to the U.S.
“Eric’s father’s coming home from China because he wants to campaign,” Trump said, in a phone call with supporters of U.S.
On Friday, China announced new restrictions on American diplomats operating in Hong Kong, as well as the mainland, in retaliation against recent curbs on China’s diplomatic activities in the U.S.
diplomats in China have long worked under severe limitations and that most of the announced measures weren’t new