China has elevated veteran trade diplomat Li Chenggang to the country’s top-level international trade representative post, giving him a prominent role ahead of an expected meeting between President Xi Jinping and US President Donald Trump.
Li has been officially appointed by the State Council as China’s international trade representative, carrying a minister’s rank, Xinhua news agency reported on Sunday.
He was previously the international trade negotiator of the Ministry of Commerce, and the revised official title vests him with a national-level mandate, strengthening the country’s economic relations with its key trading partners.
China’s Vice-Premier He Lifeng is leading a Chinese delegation to the US for consultations on economic and trade issues of mutual concern from Saturday to Wednesday.
A seasoned expert in multilateral trade rules and bilateral economic consultations, 59-year-old Li holds a bachelor’s degree in law from Peking University and a master’s degree in law and economics from the University of Hamburg.
He was appointed as the commerce ministry’s international trade negotiator and vice-minister in April last year. Following the appointment, Li played an important role in US-China trade talks amid heightened tariff disputes in 2025.
Li has decades of experience in World Trade Organization (WTO) dispute settlement and high-level negotiations with major global economies. In his previous tenure as China’s WTO ambassador, he was involved in handling intricate cross-border trade disputes and bridging divergences between major trading powers.
In addition to Li’s promotion, the State Council rolled out a series of appointments across key economic, industrial and public service sectors.
Multiple senior officials have taken up new posts, including new deputy leaders for the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, the National Financial Regulatory Administration and the Cyberspace Administration of China.
Meanwhile Ling Ji, vice minister of commerce, was appointed as deputy international trade representative of China.
