In a sudden shift in the heart of the table on Washington’s accounts, China managed to reach an initial agreement with the United States to reduce mutual customs duties, which was a decisive turning point in the trade war that escalates between the two largest economies in the world.
This development – according to Bloomberg – was not a coincidence, but rather a result of a long -term preparation, and Beijing led by a seasoned negotiating team led by Lee Feng, Deputy Prime Minister, supported by the highest levels of technical and political experience.
The agreement, which entered into force on May 14, 2025, includes a temporary truce of 90 days during which any additional fees are suspended, giving the two parties a time window to re -negotiate new foundations.
Li Feng … the armistrate engineer and the owner of the back threads
Li Feng is known as one of the oldest comrades of President Xi Jinping since they worked together in the coastal city of Xiamen in the 1980s, and today he is the Deputy Prime Minister and member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party, and is considered the engineer of higher economic policy in the country.
Despite his lack of the international academic rear of his predecessor Leo He – who studied at Harvard University – “Kha” is characterized by a rare ability to understand and manage the total economic policies and manage them internally, which qualified him to lead an exceptional negotiating delegation to Geneva.
Besides, he chose to mobilize names of great weight, most notably:
- Lee Cheng GangThe Deputy Minister of Commerce, and the graduate of the German “Hamburg” University, is fluent in the English language, and is considered one of the deepest legal experts in the international trade file and combating dumping.
- Liao MinThe Deputy Minister of Finance, which is one of the few who participated in the commercial negotiations during the first Trump period, and has held his current position since 2018, which gave him a unique accumulation in understanding the fine details of dealing with the Americans.
New Chinese gravity … diplomacy in a sense of humor
At the press conference held inside a huge wooden hall at the headquarters of the China Mission to the World Trade Organization in Geneva, Lee Cheng Gang drew attention quickly to his smart style. When journalists pressed him to find out the date of the release of the joint statement, he answered a Chinese phrase that impressed the followers: “As we say in China: If the dishes are delicious, then the time does not matter. Whatever the statement is late, it will be good news to the world.”
This sentence quickly turned into a major title in many international newspapers, because of the confidence, lightness, and soft diplomacy, expressing a transformation in China’s negotiating style that was previously seen as dry and hardline.
Unbeatable team … political strength and technical knowledge
The composition that Beijing has chosen, led by “Khai Li Feng”, is characterized by the fact that it combines:
- Political legitimacy: The three have direct relationships with the High Command, including the Political Bureau.
- Legal and commercial experience: “Li” alone has more than 20 years of work on agreements, treaties, and combating commercial barriers.
- Negotiating: The former US Treasury official, Christopher Adams, who sat in front of him in several negotiating rounds during the Obama and Trump administrations, described him as “a difficult, but constructive negotiation, and is very respectful in Washington.”
Bloomberg has quoted the former World Trade Organization spokesman, Keith Rockele, as saying that “I know the World Trade Organization’s book well, and the Americans are not allowed to outperform it easily.”
A short truce .. and a long struggle renewed
Despite the relative optimism shown by the two parties, the 90 -day period is a real test of the ability of the two parties to bridge the deep gap that separates their interests. As fundamental issues, such as intellectual property rights, freedom of access to markets, and technological restrictions, are still present at the table.
The agreement also did not include any fundamental change in Chinese industrial policies that were the cause of tense relations, but rather focused on direct customs issues, which makes the truce a “temporary freezing”, more than a “permanent solution”, according to experts in the international economy.
Technology .. a parallel confrontation arena
In the background of commercial conversations, Washington continues to escalate the technology file. The US Department of Commerce has announced that the use of “Huawei Asind” chips for artificial intelligence anywhere in the world is a violation of the American export rules, in a move aimed at limiting China’s ability to develop advanced technologies in the areas of artificial intelligence and smartphones.
In the anti -drug file, Washington warned Beijing that the failure of cooperation in the artificial “fentanel” issue may have severe diplomatic and economic consequences, according to former US ambassador Nicholas Burns.
China is progressing in the markets … despite storms
Amid these tensions, major Chinese companies showed remarkable flexibility, as Catal (officially known as the “Contemporary Ampo Technology Company”) announced the success of its public offering on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange, registering subscription requests that exceeded expectations, with the stock pricing at the upper limit of $ 263 Hong Kong, which means collecting $ 31 billion in Hong Kong (equivalent to $ 4 billion).
Trading in the company’s shares is expected to start on May 20, 2025, which reflects market confidence despite the escalation of geopolitical tension.
On the other hand, the Japanese company “Sony” incurred expected losses of 100 billion Japanese yen (i.e. 700 million dollars) as a result of the American fees imposed on its imports. The company has reduced its forecasts of operating profits to 1.28 trillion yen, while analysts’ expectations were 1.5 trillion yen, which reflects the direct impact of customs restrictions on international companies.
“Gigo” island on the date
It is expected that “Lee Cheng Gang” will represent China during the meeting of the trade ministers at the Economic Cooperation Forum for the Countries of Asia and the Pacific (APEC), to be held on the South Korean island of Jeju.
The meeting is expected to witness a new diplomatic confrontation between him and the American negotiator Gameson Ghrir, on a tour that may determine the future of the temporary agreement between the two parties.
Beijing not only speaks … but rather builds a strategy
China once again demonstrated that negotiation is not a battle of slogans, but rather on the knowledge, preparation, and a profound understanding of the complexities of the global economy. The team that I sent to Geneva does not represent a single ministry, but rather represents an entire nation, knows what it wants, is good at choosing the moment, and is fluent in playing on the edge of crises.
Professor Victor Sheh of the University of California commented about the Chinese team: “Li Feng may not be an academic expert like his predecessor, but he knows how to choose his men. China has studied this file for years, and now knows how to face American protection,” commented Professor Victor Sheh of the University of California about the Chinese team.
While the markets hold its breath, it remains certain that Beijing is not only negotiating for calm … but for reshaping the global trade scene again.
