Terry Branstad, the nation’s longest-serving governor and former U.S. ambassador to China, formally announced Monday his new consulting group focused on U.S.-China relations, the Des Moines Register reported. His partner in the Branstad Churchill Group LLC is Steve Churchill, Branstad’s former chief of staff in Beijing. Churchill, an Iowa State University alumnus, served three terms in the Iowa Legislature and has advocated for a wide variety of causes on Capitol Hill in his capacity as chief of staff and as the chief executive of two internationally known associations — the Association for Healthcare Philanthropy and the American Medical Association Foundation. Branstad, who last week participated on a panel on U.S.-China relations hosted by the Greater Des Moines Partnership, in November was named ambassador-in-residence at Drake University and made reference to his new consulting group during that announcement. According to a news release, the group will provide “advice, guidance and solutions to organizations, corporate leaders and investors seeking to navigate the challenges and opportunities associated with conducting business in China and the United States.”