China has granted Ivanka Trump preliminary approval of five new trademarks this month on products including wedding dresses, sunglasses, as well as child care centers, reports the AP. The trademarks also cover brokerage, charitable fundraising and art valuation services.
Why it matters: The approvals come as her father’s administration is hammering out a trade deal with China amid ongoing trade clashes. The expansion of her intellectual property holdings has been a major source of ethical concern, and ethics watchdog groups including the Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington have been skeptical of the timing of the approvals. But Trump's representatives have said in the past that the trademarks are part of a global effort to protect the Trump name.
