China chose a new main negotiator for international trade on Wednesday because of disagreements with the U.S. about tariffs.

The government said that Li Chenggang will replace Wang Shouwen. Wang Shouwen was part of the trade talks between China and the U.S. in 2020.

Since the U.S. started putting higher taxes on goods from many countries, the two biggest economies in the world have been slowly increasing taxes on each other's products. China now pays 145% in taxes on things it sells to the U.S., while most other countries had 90 days before the new taxes started.

On Wednesday, China said its economy grew by 5.4% from January to March, thanks to strong exports. But experts think China's economy, the world's second largest, will slow down a lot soon because of new taxes on Chinese goods going to the U.S.

A key reason for China's 5% yearly growth in 2024 was its strong exports, and the government still plans for about 5% growth this year.

Beijing has responded to the U.S. by putting a 125% tax on American goods. They also said they want to keep their markets open for trade and investment.

Sheng Laiyun, a spokesperson for the National Bureau of Statistics, told reporters that the tariffs will cause problems for China's economy in the short term, but they will not stop its growth in the long term.

It was unclear why China changed the people in charge of talks, but they said the country has several ways to react to what the U.S. is doing. These include using its large market of 1.4 billion people and trading more with Europe and countries in the global south. However, because people in China are not buying many things, it will be hard to replace the U.S. buyers.

China also put more limits on sending rare earths to other countries. These materials are used in technology, planes, and the military.

Before his new job, Li worked for about four and a half years as China's representative to the World Trade Organization. This group controls trade around the world. China has asked them for help with their disagreement about taxes with the U.S.

He also worked as a senior representative for China at the United Nations in Geneva and with other international groups in Switzerland.

He has also worked as an assistant minister in the Ministry of Commerce and was the head of the ministry's Department of Treaty and Law.

Li studied law at the famous Peking University in China, and later got a master's degree in economics of law from the University of Hamburg.