Overview
- State news agency Xinhua listed Li Chenggang’s removal as China’s WTO representative, cementing his April appointment as lead international trade negotiator in ambassadorial changes approved by President Xi Jinping.
- The WTO said Li Yongjie is now China’s envoy in Geneva and noted she presented her credentials on September 29.
- The personnel update comes as Washington expands sanctions on foreign firms and Beijing tightens export controls on rare earths and other critical materials, following dueling tariff hikes that topped 100% in April.
- U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent publicly labeled Li "unhinged" last week and referenced contentious exchanges linked to Li’s late‑August visit to Washington, which a source told Reuters was uninvited and confrontational.
- Senior officials are pursuing de‑escalation channels, with Bessent holding a video call with Vice Premier He Lifeng and planning talks in Malaysia next week, as a Trump–Xi encounter is expected on the sidelines of APEC in South Korea later this month.