Meet Xi Jinping’s G20 trade talks team: a mix of long-time aides and experienced diplomats
- Some less familiar faces are expected to come to the fore during China’s meetings in Buenos Aires
- Vice-Premier Liu He, China’s point man in trade talks with the US, will remain front and centre
As Chinese President Xi Jinping met his US counterpart Donald Trump in Buenos Aires on Saturday in hopes of strike a deal to ease the trade war, he was flanked by veteran diplomats and trusted aides who form the backbone of a team that helps him run the world’s second-largest economy.
These men were sitting with Xi facing Trump and his team on Saturday. Many of their counterparts are known for their hawkish stance and the gap between sides is considerable, although they have also indicated the possibility of a truce to prevent the trade war from escalating.
The long-awaited bilateral meeting convened at 5:30pm, local time, an hour earlier than originally planned because of last-minute changes made in response to the death of former US president George H.W. Bush.
Trump also tweeted that he would not hold a press conference on the outcome of his G20 meetings until after Bush’s funeral.
Some of the familiar faces for Xi’s top-level summits in the past, such as Wang Huning and Li Zhanshu, will not be with the Chinese president after they were elevated to the Politburo Standing Committee, so it is likely some lesser-known aides will come to the fore.