Trump empire wins 35 new trademarks for Chinese businesses

US President Donald Trump has been granted approval for 35 new trademarks via his Trump Organization operations in China, including hotels, golf courses and major construction projects, raising questions over the ethics of his business dealings.

Trump applied for the trademarks during his presidential campaign in April 2016, with four of the initial 39 applications being rejected by the Chinese government.

The former businessman's trademark applications came at a time when he was lambasting the actions of China and the nature of the US' trade relationship with it, threatening to discard trade agreements with the Asian superpower.

Now critics have questioned the ethics of Trump continuing to conduct business in China, and some have said that he could be in violation of the US constitution if he receives favourable treatment in the awarding of the trademarks.

Trump Organisation lawyer Alan Garten told CNN that there had been no malpractice on the part of the President, adding that the company has been "actively enforcing its intellectual property rights in China for more than a decade".

"The latest registrations are a natural result of those longstanding, diligent efforts and any suggestion to the contrary demonstrates a complete disregard of the facts as well as a lack of understanding of international trademark law," Garten said.

The trademarks have been provisionally approved by Beijing, and will be formally registered in the country within the next 90 days if there are no objections to the approval.

Trump has said previously that all of his business interests have been handed over to a trust controlled by one of his sons, but that action can be retracted at any time as he is still the main beneficiary from his real estate empire.