Li Chenggang

In this Chinese name, the family name is Li.

Li Chenggang
李成钢
Chenggang in 2024
International Trade Negotiation Representative of the Ministry of Commerce
Incumbent
Assumed office April 2025
Premier	Li Qiang
Preceded by	Wang Shouwen
Permanent Representative of China to the World Trade Organization
In office February 2021 – April 2025
Premier	Li Keqiang Li Qiang
Preceded by	Zhang Xiangchen
Assistant Minister of Commerce
In office December 2016 – January 2021
Personal details
Born	February 1967 (age 58) Taihu County, Anhui, China
Political party	Chinese Communist Party
Alma mater	Peking University University of Hamburg

Li Chenggang (Chinese: 李成钢; born February 1967) is a Chinese politician and diplomat, currently serving as the international trade negotiator for the Ministry of Commerce since April 2025. Previously, he served as the permanent representative of China to the World Trade Organization.

Early life and education

Li was born in February 1967 in Taihu County, Anhui, China. He was admitted to the Peking University Law School in 1985 and joined the Chinese Communist Party in December 1988. In July 1989, he graduated with an LL.B. degree. In 1995, he went to Hong Kong as a visiting scholar at the University of Hong Kong to study the legal conflicts between the mainland and Hong Kong. From 1998 to 1999, he received a full scholarship from the European Master in Law and Economics (EMLE) program to study at the University of Hamburg in Germany and received an LL.M.

Career

Li began his career in 1989 at the Ministry of Foreign Trade and Economic Cooperation, focusing on trade law and anti-dumping investigations. He later joined the Ministry of Commerce, where he held various roles in fair trade and legal affairs.

From 2004 to 2010, he served as deputy director of the Fair Trade Bureau for Imports and Exports and then as Deputy Director-General of the Treaty and Law Department. Between 2010 and 2017, he was Director-General of the Treaty and Law Department, with a one-year secondment as Vice Mayor of Qingdao from 2013 to 2014. From 2017 to 2021, he served as Assistant Minister of Commerce. In July 2018, when the United States under the first presidency of Donald Trump planned to impose 10 percent tariffs on an extra $200 billion worth of Chinese imports, Li responded by stating "Chinese government's attitude to support business cooperation between the two countries will not change, its determination to push forward reforms and improve the business environment will not change, and its stance of opposing unilateralism and supporting multilateralism will not change."

From 2021 to 2025, Li was China's Permanent Representative to the World Trade Organization and Deputy Representative to the United Nations Office in Geneva. During his tenure, he played a key role in negotiations to curb fisheries subsidies contributing to the overexploitation of ocean fish. Addressing the contentious issue of special treatment for developing countries, Li announced that China would adhere to the strictest rules alongside developed nations, stating "We will make our contribution commensurate to our capability. We will not compete with other developing members."

In April 2025, the State Council of China appointed Li as International Trade Negotiator (ministerial level) and Vice Minister of the Ministry of Commerce, replacing Wang Shouwen. Li's appointment comes at the time of intensifying trade war between China and the United States after the imposition of tariffs in the second presidency of Donald Trump.

Works

• Li Chenggang (2011). WTO Rules of the Game: China's Participation in the WTO Dispute Settlement Years of Legal Practice (1st ed.). Commercial Press. ISBN 978-7100086912.
• Li Chenggang Zhang Yuqing (2001). WTO and Safeguards Disputes (1st ed.). Shanghai: People's Publishing House. ISBN 7208038910.