China Names New Int’l Trade Negotiator Amid Tariff Tensions with U.S.

Beijing has announced the appointment of Li Chenggang to replace Wang Shouwen—who participated in the negotiations for the 2020 trade deal between China and the US—as its top trade negotiator tasked with brokering a new agreement with the US, the Associated Press (AP) reported.

It wasn’t immediately clear why China changed negotiators, but the move comes as Chinese officials assert that the country has multiple options to respond to US actions. I Photo: Xinhua

The world’s two largest economies have been steadily increasing tariffs on each other’s goods since the US raised tariffs on dozens of countries.

China currently faces 145% taxes on exports to the US, while other countries were given a 90-day reprieve for most duties. Earlier, China announced that its economy expanded at a 5.4% annual pace in January–March, supported by strong exports.

Analysts are forecasting, however, that the world’s second-largest economy will slow significantly in the coming months as tariffs on US imports from China take effect.

Exports were a key driver of China’s 5% annual growth rate in 2024, and the official target for this year remains at about 5%. Beijing has retaliated with 125% tariffs on American exports, while also emphasizing its determination to keep its markets open to trade and investment.

In the near term, the tariffs will put pressure on China’s economy, but they won’t derail long-run growth, said Sheng Laiyun, a spokesperson for the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS).

It wasn’t immediately clear why China changed negotiators, but the move comes as Chinese officials assert that the country has multiple options to respond to US actions—including relying more on its own vast market of 1.4 billion consumers, as well as on Europe and countries in the Global South.

However, as China’s domestic consumption continues to lag, replacing the US consumer may prove difficult. Li holds a bachelor’s degree in law from China’s elite Peking University and a master’s degree in the economics of law from the University of Hamburg.