In a surprise move, China has appointed a new trade envoy as tensions with the United States continue to escalate over tariffs and trade policy.
Li Chenggang, a former assistant commerce minister and China's ambassador to the World Trade Organization, will replace long-serving Vice Commerce Minister Wang Shouwen as the country라이브 바카라 chief trade negotiator, BBC reported.
The leadership change comes as Beijing digs in its heels amid a growing trade standoff with Washington, ignited by steep tariffs imposed by former U.S. President Donald Trump on Chinese imports.
With exports—an essential engine of China's economy—under pressure, officials warn the dispute is disrupting the global economic order. The Chinese government has condemned U.S. trade measures as "tariff barriers and trade bullying."
On Wednesday, China reported that its GDP grew by 5.4% year-on-year in the first quarter, beating analyst expectations. However, that growth predates the recent surge in U.S. tariffs, which jumped from 10% to an eye-watering 145%. Officials cautioned that tougher times may lie ahead.
While both Washington and Beijing have said they are open to negotiating, neither have made a move to do so yet.
When that happens, Li, 58, will play a key role. He previously served as a deputy permanent representative to the United Nations in Geneva and has held several key jobs in the commerce ministry.
Speaking to Reuters, one expert said the change in jobs was "very abrupt and potentially disruptive" given the current trade tensions - adding that Wang also had experience negotiating with the US since the first Trump administration.
"It might be that in the view of China's top leadership, given how tensions have continued escalating, they need someone else to break the impasse... and finally start negotiating," said Alfredo Montufar-Helu, a senior adviser to the Conference Board's China Centre.
However, another analyst who spoke to Reuters suggested the move could just be a "routine promotion" that just happened to come at a particularly tense period in time.
At a press conference on Wednesday, Sheng Laiyun, deputy commissioner of China라이브 바카라 National Bureau of Statistics (NBS), warned that rising U.S. tariffs will put pressure on China라이브 바카라 foreign trade and broader economy. However, he emphasized that China라이브 바카라 economic fundamentals remain strong, and long-term prospects are positive.
“We firmly oppose the U.S. practice of erecting tariff barriers and engaging in trade bullying,” Sheng said. “These actions violate economic norms and WTO principles, disrupt the global economic order, and undermine the recovery of the world economy.”
The pushback comes as rhetoric intensifies between the two global powers. In a sharply worded editorial earlier this week, state-run China Daily accused the U.S. of being "capricious and destructive" in its approach to global trade and called on Washington to “stop whining about being a victim.”
“The U.S. isn’t getting ripped off,” the editorial stated. “If anything, it라이브 바카라 been enjoying a free ride on the globalization train.”
