‘Tough’ Tillerson could defuse friction on North Korea, says Chinese oilman
Former Sinopec chairman Fu Chengyu says US secretary of state ‘tries to understand others’
As the head of ExxonMobil, now US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson had a knack for doing deals in China, according to Fu Chengyu, the former chairman of Asia’s biggest oil refiner.
Fu said Tillerson’s negotiating playbook could help him defuse friction between China and the United States over North Korea’s nuclear programme.
An oil veteran who led China Petrochemical Corp – better known as Sinopec – from 2011 to 2015, Fu met periodically with Tillerson. While the companies operated joint ventures that weren’t without their sore points, Fu described Tillerson as a “very good friend” who is “very strong, tough in negotiations”.
“He always tries to find the right solution to meet all the needs of the different parties,” Fu, 65, said in Beijing on March 30. “He was the one that never acted only in his own interests. He always coordinates the interests of all the parties – that is my experience working with him.”
However, while Tillerson brings years of experience navigating the subtleties of doing business in China, he also needs to manage a strident boss. President Donald Trump has criticised China over North Korea, saying it’s not doing enough to rein in the reclusive regime and ruling out Beijing’s proposal for fresh talks on Kim Jong Un’s nuclear programme. Trump has also threatened to act unilaterally against Pyongyang.