China formally confirmed Li Chenggang's appointment as its top top trade negotiator, removing him from his previous post as permanent representative to the World Trade Organization (WTO), reported state news agency Xinhua on Monday.

The announcement was part of a routine list of ambassadorial changes approved by President Xi Jinping . Although Li's appointment as the lead international trade negotiator was initially made in April, the formal removal from his WTO post comes at a time of escalating trade tensions between the United States and China.

Who is Li Chenggang?

58-year-old Li Chenggang, formerly the WTO envoy and assistant minister of commerce, has been a key figure in four successive rounds of US-China trade talks and also worked towards preventing a full-blown trade war, R

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