China appoints new top trade negotiator amid US tariff war

16/4/2025 14:28

China appointed as its new trade negotiator on Wednesday a former representative to the World Trade Organization who replaces Vice Commerce Minister Wang Shouwen, amid an escalating tariff war with the United States.



The human resources and social security ministry said in a statement, Li Chenggang, a former assistant commerce minister during the first administration of U.S. President Donald Trump, takes over from Wang.



The change comes as Beijing pursues a hardline stance in an intensifying trade war with Washington triggered by Trump's hefty tariffs on items imported from China.



Li, who has held several key jobs in the commerce ministry, such as in departments overseeing treaties and law and fair trade, has an academic background in the elite Peking University and Germany's Hamburg University.



He replaces Wang, a veteran commerce official and top trade negotiator since 2022.