China Surrounded Xi’s Aide With Seasoned Experts to Seal US Deal

China’s surprisingly quick agreement with the US to wind back punitive tariff rates put a spotlight on a Chinese negotiating team that features decades worth of technical trade experience alongside a top aide of President Xi Jinping.

While Vice Premier He Lifeng, a longtime associate of China’s leader, has been described by some observers as lacking the international experience of his predecessor, Harvard Kennedy School-trained Liu He, he brought with him to Geneva a team well prepared to take on US counterparts.