He Lifeng is China's vice-premier and the country's lead negotiator in trade talks with America. He is a seasoned administrator trusted by Xi Jinping, though he has relatively little experience negotiating with the American side and lacks a sophisticated understanding of its political and economic system. His counterpart in 2025 trade negotiations was Scott Bessent, America's treasury secretary. Five rounds of talks culminated in an outline agreement that Mr Xi and Donald Trump finalised in late 2025. He met Jensen Huang, boss of Nvidia, during one of Mr Huang's visits to China.
A real diplomat is one who can cut his neighbor's throat without having his neighbour notice it.