China on Wednesday appointed Li Chenggang as its new top international trade negotiator amid the ongoing trade war between Beijing and Washington with both countries imposing steep new tariffs on each other’s goods.
The Chinese ministry of human resources confirmed that Lee will now serve as vice minister of commerce and representative for international trade negotiations. He has decades of experience in global trade diplomacy, having most recently served as China’s ambassador to the World Trade Organization in Geneva.
Li played a key role in crafting the 2020 trade deal with the United States. He has also held the post of deputy permanent representative to the United Nations in Switzerland and earlier served as an assistant minister at the commerce ministry.
Although no official reason was given for the leadership change, it comes at a time when Chinese officials are weighing multiple options to counter US moves. These include deepening trade ties with Europe and the Global South and focusing on the vast domestic market of 1.4 billion consumers.
China is facing escalating trade pressure from the Trump’s administration after it recently increased tariffs on Chinese goods to 145 per cent, while Beijing retaliated with 125 per cent duties on US exports.
These tit-for-tat measures are part of a larger trade war that has rattled global markets and complicated China’s economic recovery.
China’s economy grew by 5.4 per cent in the first quarter of 2025, exceeding expectations, boosted by strong export numbers. Many of these exports were “front-loaded” ahead of the April 2 tariff hike deadline set by Washington.
However, economists believe the true impact of these tariffs will start reflecting in the months to come. “The damage from the trade war will show up in the macro data next month,” said Zhiwei Zhang of Pinpoint Asset Management, as quoted by AFP.
Addressing the current situation, Sheng Laiyun, deputy commissioner of the National Bureau of Statistics, said, “The imposition of high tariffs by the US will put certain pressures on our country’s foreign trade and economy,” but stressed that it “will not change the general trend of China’s economy continuing to improve in the long run.”
The Chinese ministry of human resources confirmed that Lee will now serve as vice minister of commerce and representative for international trade negotiations. He has decades of experience in global trade diplomacy, having most recently served as China’s ambassador to the World Trade Organization in Geneva.
Li played a key role in crafting the 2020 trade deal with the United States. He has also held the post of deputy permanent representative to the United Nations in Switzerland and earlier served as an assistant minister at the commerce ministry.
Although no official reason was given for the leadership change, it comes at a time when Chinese officials are weighing multiple options to counter US moves. These include deepening trade ties with Europe and the Global South and focusing on the vast domestic market of 1.4 billion consumers.
China is facing escalating trade pressure from the Trump’s administration after it recently increased tariffs on Chinese goods to 145 per cent, while Beijing retaliated with 125 per cent duties on US exports.
These tit-for-tat measures are part of a larger trade war that has rattled global markets and complicated China’s economic recovery.
China’s economy grew by 5.4 per cent in the first quarter of 2025, exceeding expectations, boosted by strong export numbers. Many of these exports were “front-loaded” ahead of the April 2 tariff hike deadline set by Washington.
However, economists believe the true impact of these tariffs will start reflecting in the months to come. “The damage from the trade war will show up in the macro data next month,” said Zhiwei Zhang of Pinpoint Asset Management, as quoted by AFP.
Addressing the current situation, Sheng Laiyun, deputy commissioner of the National Bureau of Statistics, said, “The imposition of high tariffs by the US will put certain pressures on our country’s foreign trade and economy,” but stressed that it “will not change the general trend of China’s economy continuing to improve in the long run.”
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