China names new trade envoy as tariff war with US escalates

The change comes as the world’s two largest economies continue a tariff war that’s rattled global markets, with no signs of a negotiation in the near future.

China replaced its trade representative as Beijing and Washington remain at an impasse over the conditions for talks to cool the escalating trade war.

Beijing has named Li Chenggang as vice commerce minister and trade envoy, replacing Wang Shouwen, the government said in a statement on Wednesday. It provided no explanation as is usual with personnel moves.

The change comes as the world’s two largest economies continue a tariff war that’s rattled global markets, with no signs of a negotiation in the near future.

US President Donald Trump on Tuesday once again called on China to reach out to him, but Beijing has suggested it would only engage in talks on an equal footing. Both sides appear to be digging in their heels as Trump hiked levies on Chinese goods to as high as 145% and Beijing retaliated with some 125% tariffs on US imports.

The statement from the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security didn’t disclose a new appointment for Wang. At 59, he had been China’s trade representative since early 2018 and has not reached retirement age.

Vice Premier He Lifeng is seen as the official leading China-US economic affairs and held an introductory call with US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent in February, followed by a video call with US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer last month. The Chinese trade representative, a position at the Ministry of Commerce, often assists in talks at a working level.

Wang was involved in talks with the US during Trump’s first term. He was among the group of Chinese officials led by former vice premier Liu He negotiating with Trump’s team. For almost two years, China and the US engaged in a tit-for-tat trade war that eventually concluded with a truce in December 2019, with China promising to buy more American products and the US halting tariffs.

His replacement, 58-year-old Li, had been China’s ambassador to the World Trade Organization since February 2021. A graduate of Peking University’s law department, Li has spent most of his career in the commerce ministry, and had a brief stint as vice mayor of Qingdao, a coastal city in Shandong province.