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Li Chenggang

The latest news and top stories on Li Chenggang, China’s International Trade Negotiator and Vice Minister of Commerce. Known for his extensive background in trade law and international trade negotiations, he has held various key roles within the Ministry of Commerce since 1989, including Assistant Minister and Permanent Representative to the World Trade Organization. His responsibilities involve shaping China’s trade relations and addressing disputes, as evidenced by his confirmation of the tariff truce following high-level trade negotiations in Stockholm. A Peking University and University of Hamburg alumnus, his expertise is crucial in navigating complex global trade dynamics.

Investors are awaiting clarity on a summit between Xi Jinping and Donald Trump, viewing it as a potential sign of cooperation that may steady mainland China and Hong Kong equities, according to analysts. Photo: AFP

China stock market

Xi-Trump summit eyed for direction as Hong Kong, China stocks shaken by conflict

Markets await clarity on a summit, hoping it will steady Hong Kong and China equities as Middle East hostilities weigh on sentiment.

18 Mar 2026 - 2:59PM

US-China relations

Editorial | China policy to stay on course despite delay to Xi-Trump summit

18 Mar 2026 - 7:15AM

US-China relations

With Trump’s China trip in limbo, further trade talks loom: analysts

17 Mar 2026 - 9:00PMvideocam

2026 Trump-Xi summit

Trump-Xi summit delay may suit China amid Iran war

Postponing Trump’s visit to Beijing could help avoid potential embarrassments linked to the Iran war and give more time to reach agreements.

17 Mar 2026 - 5:40PM

US-China trade war

China and US trade talks off to a low-key start after first meeting in Paris

Discussions expected to focus on trade, investment and rare earths ahead of crucial Xi-Trump summit later this month in Beijing.

16 Mar 2026 - 9:33AMvideocam

Middle East

Letters | Iran’s people deserve stability, dignity and peace

Readers discuss the US and Israel’s bombing of Iran, US-Philippine military cooperation, and American criticism of a key Chinese trade negotiator.

3 Mar 2026 - 11:30AM

E-commerce

JD.com renews on-demand delivery fight with US$2.9 billion in grocery subsidies

JD.com says the subsidies will make the ‘Billion-Yuan Supermarket’ its largest subsidised product category, surpassing electronics.

26 Feb 2026 - 8:30PM

Artificial intelligence

Sweet surge: Qwen overtakes Yuanbao after Alibaba’s bubble tea campaign

More than 10 million free orders put Alibaba’s AI app in the spotlight amid a high-stakes battle for Spring Festival attention.

6 Feb 2026 - 8:35PM

E-commerce

China bans e-commerce platforms from forcing lowest prices or abusing algorithms

Beijing moves to protect consumers and merchants, with new 29-article regulation tightening oversight of the fast-growing digital economy.

22 Dec 2025 - 6:00PM

US-China trade war

Surviving the shocks: what China and the US learned from 2025’s trade war

Businesses and officials faced a year of disruption – and in some cases, resilience – as tariffs and export controls roiled global markets.

17 Dec 2025 - 8:07AMvideocam

E-commerce

Chinese vendors on Shein, Temu face tax changes at home and abroad

While the EU ends a duty exemption, a reform of China’s tax regime may present the bigger challenge for cross-border sellers.

16 Nov 2025 - 10:00AM

An internet user shops on the Shein website in Paris on November 5, 2025. Photo: AFP

SCMP Highlights

Chinese students boost US education, Trump tariffs in court: SCMP daily highlights

From Chinese military preparing to cut costs to Brazil urging stronger commitments ahead of Cop30, here’s a round-up from today’s coverage.

6 Nov 2025 - 9:15PM

US-China trade war

Chinese trade negotiator urges US to boost agricultural cooperation

Li Chenggang tells visiting US delegation that fluctuations in agricultural trade have roots in America’s imposition of unilateral tariffs.

6 Nov 2025 - 4:30PM

US-China relations

‘No structure to say yes’: can Chinese investment still find a home in America?

Even as Beijing pushes for an opening, US rules, local backlash and political fear keep China on the sidelines.

29 Nov 2025 - 1:07AMvideocam

US-China relations

Why Xi and Trump chose to talk in Busan, away from South Korea’s Apec events

Chinese foreign ministry confirms leaders to ‘exchange views on bilateral relations and issues of mutual interest’.

30 Oct 2025 - 11:50AMvideocam

US President Donald Trump waves as he disembarks from Air Force One at Gimhae International Airport in Busan, South Korea, on Wednesday. Photo: EPA/Yonhap

US-China relations

‘Hawkish’ interpretations rise as US, China discourse gets lost in translation

In an echo of the Cold War, mistranslations are testing already strained nerves in Washington and Beijing.

27 Oct 2025 - 11:38PMvideocam

US-China trade war

US-China framework deal only ‘first step’ towards ending trade war: analysts

Talks in Malaysia may have paved the way for a broader trade deal, but the ‘real test’ will be implementing the pledges, analysts say.

27 Oct 2025 - 9:00PMvideocam

US-China trade war

US-China trade deal in sight ahead of Trump-Xi summit

Talks in Malaysia have paved the way for an accord at a presidential summit this week, with potential agreements in areas including rare earths, soybeans and tariffs.

27 Oct 2025 - 5:03PM

US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng. Photo: Xinhua

US-China trade war

Trump and Xi’s shock tactics see trade war remain in a stalemate

Former government officials and analysts believe this is the price you pay when diplomatic negotiation fails and compromise is ignored.

18 Oct 2025 - 7:16AMvideocam

Rare earths

Outside In | Trump may be realising he has less leverage over China than he thought

The past week has provided a rare insight into the fudging and bullying that goes on behind the closed doors of high-stakes trade talks.

17 Oct 2025 - 4:30PMvideocam

US-China trade war

‘Unnecessary panic’: China rebukes US officials’ comments on rare earths

Beijing defends rare earth export controls against US claims of disruption, calls on Dutch government to cease ‘interference’ with Nexperia.

16 Oct 2025 - 7:00PM

US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent called China’s rare earth export controls proof Beijing is an “unreliable partner” at a recent press conference. Photo: AFP

US-China trade war

‘Dare to fight’: how China’s art of the deal reflects years of Trump dealings

Beijing fired back at Washington ahead of Trump’s executive order on TikTok last week, and analysts say it stems from hard-learned lessons.

29 Sep 2025 - 9:00PM

A call between presidents Xi Jinping and Donald Trump this month was their second since June, as tensions have persisted between China and the United States. Photo: AFP

US-China trade war

For soybeans’ sake, cancel tariffs, China urges US as farmers grow desperate

The US should abandon its ‘unreasonable tariffs’, Ministry of Commerce says as a long-term trade agreement remains elusive after four rounds of negotiations.

25 Sep 2025 - 7:09PM

China trade

China to relinquish WTO privileges in show of support for multilateral trade

Premier Li Qiang says Beijing will not seek developing country benefits in future WTO negotiations, drawing implicit contrast with US.

24 Sep 2025 - 4:14PMvideocam

China-EU relations

Player or playground? Europe sidelined again as US, China cut deals on its soil

While the Europeans were not at the table in Madrid, there is a sense that they were most definitely on the menu.

16 Sep 2025 - 4:00PMvideocam

China’s Vice-Premier He Lifeng and US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent in Madrid on Sunday, ahead of the latest round of trade talks. Photo: AFP

US-China relations

China, US reach ‘framework’ on TikTok; Xi and Trump to speak on Friday

Trump says talks in Madrid went ‘VERY WELL’, with a potential deal on TikTok, but Beijing’s antitrust action against Nvidia injects a sour note.

16 Sep 2025 - 12:14PMvideocam

US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer walk, on the day of US-China talks on trade, economic and national security issues, in Madrid, Spain on Monday. Photo: Reuters

Yuan

China’s yuan rallies with central bank backing as worries mount over US dollar

The People’s Bank of China has nudged the yuan into a stronger position as investor concerns grow over Federal Reserve independence.

6 Sep 2025 - 10:00AMvideocam

US-China trade war

Chinese provinces prep for business trips to US amid shaky tariff truce

Temporary stability in bilateral relationship prompts renewed exploration of ‘subnational exchanges’ between localities.

4 Sep 2025 - 9:00PMvideocam

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Li Chenggang

Xi-Trump summit eyed for direction as Hong Kong, China stocks shaken by conflict

Markets await clarity on a summit, hoping it will steady Hong Kong and China equities as Middle East hostilities weigh on sentiment.

.css-1pcrwvc{color:#2aa191;}Editorial | China policy to stay on course despite delay to Xi-Trump summit

With Trump’s China trip in limbo, further trade talks loom: analysts

Trump-Xi summit delay may suit China amid Iran war

Postponing Trump’s visit to Beijing could help avoid potential embarrassments linked to the Iran war and give more time to reach agreements.

China and US trade talks off to a low-key start after first meeting in Paris

Discussions expected to focus on trade, investment and rare earths ahead of crucial Xi-Trump summit later this month in Beijing.

.css-19im5qg{color:#c79a00;}Letters | Iran’s people deserve stability, dignity and peace

Readers discuss the US and Israel’s bombing of Iran, US-Philippine military cooperation, and American criticism of a key Chinese trade negotiator.

JD.com renews on-demand delivery fight with US$2.9 billion in grocery subsidies

JD.com says the subsidies will make the ‘Billion-Yuan Supermarket’ its largest subsidised product category, surpassing electronics.

Sweet surge: Qwen overtakes Yuanbao after Alibaba’s bubble tea campaign

More than 10 million free orders put Alibaba’s AI app in the spotlight amid a high-stakes battle for Spring Festival attention.

China bans e-commerce platforms from forcing lowest prices or abusing algorithms

Beijing moves to protect consumers and merchants, with new 29-article regulation tightening oversight of the fast-growing digital economy.

Surviving the shocks: what China and the US learned from 2025’s trade war

Businesses and officials faced a year of disruption – and in some cases, resilience – as tariffs and export controls roiled global markets.

Chinese vendors on Shein, Temu face tax changes at home and abroad

While the EU ends a duty exemption, a reform of China’s tax regime may present the bigger challenge for cross-border sellers.

Chinese students boost US education, Trump tariffs in court: SCMP daily highlights

From Chinese military preparing to cut costs to Brazil urging stronger commitments ahead of Cop30, here’s a round-up from today’s coverage.

Chinese trade negotiator urges US to boost agricultural cooperation

Li Chenggang tells visiting US delegation that fluctuations in agricultural trade have roots in America’s imposition of unilateral tariffs.

‘No structure to say yes’: can Chinese investment still find a home in America?

Even as Beijing pushes for an opening, US rules, local backlash and political fear keep China on the sidelines.

Why Xi and Trump chose to talk in Busan, away from South Korea’s Apec events

Chinese foreign ministry confirms leaders to ‘exchange views on bilateral relations and issues of mutual interest’.

‘Hawkish’ interpretations rise as US, China discourse gets lost in translation

In an echo of the Cold War, mistranslations are testing already strained nerves in Washington and Beijing.

US-China framework deal only ‘first step’ towards ending trade war: analysts

Talks in Malaysia may have paved the way for a broader trade deal, but the ‘real test’ will be implementing the pledges, analysts say.

US-China trade deal in sight ahead of Trump-Xi summit

Talks in Malaysia have paved the way for an accord at a presidential summit this week, with potential agreements in areas including rare earths, soybeans and tariffs.

Trump and Xi’s shock tactics see trade war remain in a stalemate

Former government officials and analysts believe this is the price you pay when diplomatic negotiation fails and compromise is ignored.

Outside In | Trump may be realising he has less leverage over China than he thought

The past week has provided a rare insight into the fudging and bullying that goes on behind the closed doors of high-stakes trade talks.

‘Unnecessary panic’: China rebukes US officials’ comments on rare earths

Beijing defends rare earth export controls against US claims of disruption, calls on Dutch government to cease ‘interference’ with Nexperia.

‘Dare to fight’: how China’s art of the deal reflects years of Trump dealings

Beijing fired back at Washington ahead of Trump’s executive order on TikTok last week, and analysts say it stems from hard-learned lessons.

For soybeans’ sake, cancel tariffs, China urges US as farmers grow desperate

The US should abandon its ‘unreasonable tariffs’, Ministry of Commerce says as a long-term trade agreement remains elusive after four rounds of negotiations.

China to relinquish WTO privileges in show of support for multilateral trade

Premier Li Qiang says Beijing will not seek developing country benefits in future WTO negotiations, drawing implicit contrast with US.

Player or playground? Europe sidelined again as US, China cut deals on its soil

While the Europeans were not at the table in Madrid, there is a sense that they were most definitely on the menu.

China, US reach ‘framework’ on TikTok; Xi and Trump to speak on Friday

Trump says talks in Madrid went ‘VERY WELL’, with a potential deal on TikTok, but Beijing’s antitrust action against Nvidia injects a sour note.

China’s yuan rallies with central bank backing as worries mount over US dollar

The People’s Bank of China has nudged the yuan into a stronger position as investor concerns grow over Federal Reserve independence.

Chinese provinces prep for business trips to US amid shaky tariff truce

Temporary stability in bilateral relationship prompts renewed exploration of ‘subnational exchanges’ between localities.

Editorial | China policy to stay on course despite delay to Xi-Trump summit

Letters | Iran’s people deserve stability, dignity and peace