Zhong Shan

In February 2017, Zhong was appointed as the Minister of Commerce by the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress.^[1]

In 2018, Zhong stated that China "does not wish to fight a trade war" with the United States but will protect its national interests against US protectionism, emphasizing there are "no winners" in a trade war.^[6][7] As commerce minister, Zhong joined the trade negotiations between the United States and China during the US-China trade war since 2019.^[4] According to the Washington Post, Zhong was seen as a "hardliner" by US officials,^[8][9] with him being described as having a strong stance in the US-China trade war.^[9] For instance, Zhong commented at the People's Daily in July 2019 that the US has "provoked economic and trade frictions against us and violated the principles of the WTO."^[9] Amid growing concerns about US-China decoupling and COVID-19 pandemic disruptions, he believed that China has strong appeal for foreign investors due to its abundant, high-quality labor and complete industrial support.^[10]

Zhong was one of the individuals that accompanied Chinese leader Xi Jinping during meetings with US President Donald Trump at Buenos Aires in 2018 and Osaka in 2019.^[11] He was with Vice Premier Liu He to witness the signing of the first trade deal with the US President Donald Trump in January 2020.^[12][13] In December 2020, he was replaced by Wang Wentao.^[3]

In 2021, Zhong became a member of the national committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference. From 2021 to 2023, he was deputy director of CPPCC's economic committee. On March 10, 2023, he was appointed as chairman of the Financial and Economic Affairs Committee of the National People's Congress (NPC).^[1]