Is Trump Gaining Valuable Benefits From Chinese Government With Trademarks Approval

China is probably looking for a greener pasture with Donald Trump as president of America and lately its state trademark office is learned to have granted preliminary approval more than three dozen trademarks that is linked to him.

Trump’s lawyers in China, Chang Tsi & Partners, applied for several trademarks covering a wide sweep of businesses including mobile libraries, hotels and escorts. The preliminary approval seems granting the president and his family the protection if they want to develop “Trump” brand in the market in future.

Most of the trademarks applied are registered to “Donald J. Trump” and the address listed is of Trump Tower on Fifth Avenue in New York. The business areas listed are spas, golf clubs, massage parlors, insurance, real estate, finance, bars, bodyguards, escort services and more.

It is not yet evident special favors have been done to the president from Beijing and experts add there is no indication too that Trump would start business ventures soon in China.

However, it is not to overlook the lawyers applied for trademarks at the time when Trump was complaining about China’s trade practices being a presidential nominee candidate for the Republican party. It was in April 2016.

China’s Trademark Office website writes preliminary approval of the trademarks were given on February 27 and March 6 among over 2,000 other applications.

After the preliminary approval a 90-day period stands for challenging those. If no one objects, the trademarks will be formally registered.

Sen. Benjamin L. Cardin (Md.), the top Democrat on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, said the development is astonishing to them as Trump had been waiting for such approvals for over a decade without success and now the floodgates are opened.

Cardin has now called on the administration to brief Congress on the trademarks approval and also the constitutional risk that may appear visible in future.

Meanwhile, it may also be considered the Chinese businesses is looking ahead to cash in on the popularity of Ivanka Trump in the country. After the presidential election result and till the last day of 2016 more than 250 trademark applications were registered that had her name or similar sounding Chinese characters. Some of the applications like cosmetic surgery, diet pills, sanitary napkins and underwear even appears to have no business links to her.

Chief ethics lawyer for former President Barack Obama, Norman Eissen, said never before has been seen a president has pursuing aggressively such valuable benefits of such kind from a foreign government.