China appoints new trade envoy in face of tariff turmoil

China has unexpectedly appointed a new trade envoy, as officials said the US' practice of "tariff barriers and trade bullying" is having a serious impact on the global economic order.

Li Chenggang, a former assistant commerce minister and WTO ambassador is taking over from veteran trade negotiator Vice Commerce Minister Wang Shouwen.

The shift comes as Beijing refuses to back down in an escalating trade war with Washington triggered by US President Donald Trump's hefty tariffs on Chinese goods.

Seperately on Wednesday, Beijing announced its GDP grew by 5.4% between January and March, compared with the same period a year earlier - a figure that has exceeded expectations.

Li, 58, previously served as a deputy permanent representative to the United Nations in Geneva and has held several key jobs in the commerce ministry.

Speaking to Reuters, one expert said the change in jobs was "very abrupt and potentially disruptive" given the current trade tensions - adding that Wang also had experience negotiating with US since the first Trump administration.

"It might be that in the view of China's top leadership, given how tensions have continued escalating, they need someone else to break the impasse... and finally start negotiating," said Alfredo Montufar-Helu, a senior advisor to the Conference Board's China Centre.

However, another analyst who spoke to Reuters suggests the move could just be a "routine promotion" that is just coming at a particular tense period in time.

Speaking at a press conference on Wednesday by Sheng Laiyun, Deputy Commissioner of the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) warned that US levies would put pressure on China's foreign trade and economy, but added that China's economy is resilient and should improve in the long term.

"We firmly oppose the US practice of tariff barriers and trade bullying," said Sheng.

"It violates the economic laws and the principles of the World Trade Organisation (WTO), has a serious impact on the world economic order, and drags down the recovery of the world economy."

In an editorial by state news outlet China Daily earlier this week, the outlet described the US' behaviour as "capricious and destructive", adding that it should "stop whining about itself being a victim in global trade".

"The US is not getting ripped off by anybody...rather... [it] has been taking a free ride on the globalisation train", the editorial went on to say.

Beijing's GDP figures have also exceeded expectations - with most analysts expecting Beijing to post growth of 5.1%.

Growth in the world's second largest economy was underscored by strong retail sales and promising factory output.

However, this data covers a period before US tariffs on Chinese goods jumped from 10% to 145%.

Trump had earlier last week lifted duties on China to 145%, with Beijing responding by raising up levies on U.S. goods to 125%.

So, some of the expansion could be down to factories rushing out shipments to beat Trump's tariffs - a concept called "front loading".

Analysts say a surge in China's exports in March will be sharply reversed in the months ahead as tariffs take full effect.

China's property downturn is also still dragging on growth. Property investment fell by almost 10% in the first three months of 2025 compared to the same period last year.

New home prices also were unchanged compared to the previous month - a sign that there are still too many empty homes, and not enough people buying them.

Officials have said there is ample room for stimulus measures, and plenty of tools that they can use to bolster the economy and roll out more support measures.

But it will be especially important for China to boost domestic demand and spending this year as Washington's tariffs hits Beijing's crucial export sector.