dexinwin China has appointedLi Chenggang as the country’s International Trade Negotiations Representative at the ministerial level, according to an official announcement released on September 20, 2026.
The appointment was announced by China’s Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security as part of a broader list of State Council personnel changes. Ling Ji was also appointed concurrently as Deputy Representative for International Trade Negotiations.
Li Chenggang Takes Up a Key Trade Position
Li Chenggang has extensive experience in international trade, economic diplomacy and negotiations involving the World Trade Organization.
He previously served as China’s permanent representative to the WTO and as deputy permanent representative to the United Nations Office at Geneva. He also served as an assistant minister at China’s Ministry of Commerce.
Reuters reported in 2025 that Li had played a role in several rounds of China-US trade negotiations and had become one of Beijing’s senior trade officials during a period of heightened tensions between the world’s two largest economies.
Li was formally appointed to the lead international trade negotiator role in April 2025. His latest appointment gives the position the formal rank of a full minister.
Extensive International Trade Experience
Born in February 1967 in Anhui Province, Li studied law at Peking University before pursuing further studies at the University of Hamburg in Germany.
He began his career at the Ministry of Commerce and worked in areas including international trade rules, trade remedies and multilateral economic affairs.
His experience includes participation in negotiations involving the WTO and bilateral economic and trade relations. His tenure as China's WTO ambassador also gave him direct experience with the multilateral trading system and negotiations among major economies.
Li has also represented China in discussions involving trade disputes, market access and international economic rules.
Appointment Comes Amid Complex Global Trade Environment
Li's appointment comes as international trade remains an important area of China’s foreign economic policy.
China and the United States are continuing discussions on tariffs, agricultural trade, critical minerals and other economic issues. U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng are scheduled to hold talks in New York on September 20, with trade and critical minerals among the issues on the agenda.
The two countries have maintained negotiations despite significant disagreements over tariffs, export controls and market access.
Li's experience in both bilateral negotiations and the WTO system could therefore be relevant to China's broader trade-policy work, although the appointment itself does not indicate the outcome of any specific future negotiations.
Role Covers Broader International Trade Affairs
The International Trade Negotiations Representative is responsible for participating in major international economic and trade negotiations and coordinating China's positions on important trade-related issues.
The position also involves representing China in international trade discussions and promoting the country's trade interests within the multilateral trading system.
China's trade relations have become increasingly complex in recent years, involving not only traditional tariff negotiations but also supply chains, technology, export controls, industrial policy and critical minerals.
At the WTO, meanwhile, China has continued to participate in discussions on reform of the multilateral trading system.
Li's previous experience at the WTO gives him familiarity with the rules and procedures governing international trade, while his work at the Ministry of Commerce has provided experience in China's domestic trade policy and external negotiations.
A Veteran Negotiator Returns to the Front Line
Li's career has taken him between Beijing and Geneva, giving him experience both inside China's trade administration and on the international diplomatic stage.
His return to a prominent trade-negotiating role comes at a time when global trade relationships are being reshaped by tariffs, geopolitical tensions and efforts to secure critical supply chains.
The appointment does not by itself signal a change in China's specific negotiating positions. Instead, it places an experienced trade official in a senior position as Beijing continues to manage a complicated international economic environment.
With China facing negotiations with multiple major trading partners, Li Chenggang's new role is likely to keep him closely involved in the country's international trade agenda in the period ahead.
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