Vice-Premier He Lifeng shown to be China’s point man on economic ties, reaching trade agreement with Germany
- He covers a bigger footprint in the trade portfolio than his predecessor Liu He but is not responsible for tech or manufacturing
- It is not yet clear who will take lead with Britain because Beijing and London have not yet resumed economic dialogue after pandemic pause
Before that, He, one of President Xi Jinping’s most trusted confidants, was referred to as the “lead person” in similar dialogues with the United States, European Union and France.
03:03
US-China relations depend on strong economic ties, says US commerce chief during talks in Beijing
It effectively puts trade involving a large chunk of developed economies under He, who was named one of four-vice premiers in China’s State Council in March.
His remit is broader than that of his predecessor Liu, who President Xi described as “very important to me” when speaking to the the former US national security adviser Thomas Donilon in 2013.
It is not clear who Beijing’s point man with Britain’s economic officials will now be because Beijing and London have not announced the resumption of their economic dialogue, which was halted because of Covid-19 disruptions and a lack of will from either side to boost ties amid geopolitical tensions.