Who will be China’s next economic tsar?
As one of Xi Jinping’s most important advisers leaves the scene, we consider possible successors
IN APRIL 2019 the Americans thought they were close to ending their trade war with China. They had a draft agreement that would oblige China to strengthen its intellectual property rights and buy more American crops, among other things. And they had confidence in their negotiating partner, Liu He, China’s “special envoy” (pictured). Fluent in English, educated at Harvard and committed to reform, he was “frankly, one of the most respected men anywhere in the world”, according to Donald Trump, then America’s president.
This article appeared in the China section of the print edition under the headline “Who will be the next economic tsar?”
From the October 1st 2022 edition
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