Who is Li Chenggang? China's New Trade Negotiator Amid Escalating Tariff War With US

Amid trade tensions with the United States, China has appointed a new top trade negotiator on Wednesday who is a former representative to the World Trade Organization and is replacing Vice Commerce Minister Wang Shouwen, amid an escalating tariff war with the United States.

Who is Li Chenggang?

Li Chenggang is a 58-year-old former assistant commerce minister during the first administration of the US President Donald Trump and he is taking over from Wang, 59, the human resources and social security ministry said in a statement.

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

Li is replacing Wang, who is a veteran commerce official and top trade negotiator since 2022.

Why Has China Appointed Him As The Trade Negotiator?

Beijing is presently pursuing a hardline stance in an intensifying trade war with Washington triggered by Trump's hefty tariffs on goods imported from China, and this change comes amidst that.

This step came after official data revealed that foreign direct investment declined 27.1% in local currency terms in 2024 on the year, for its largest such drop since the 2008 global financial crisis.

The two largest economies in the world have been steadily increasing tariffs on each other's goods since the US raised tariffs on several countries. China is currently facing 145% taxes on exports to the US, while other countries were given a 90-day reprieve for most duties.

China had also announced on Wednesday that its economy expanded at 5.4% annual pace in January-March, on the back of strong exports.

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