Meet He Lifeng: The Man Behind China's Hardball Negotiation Tactics
When U.S. officials sit down to negotiate trade or economic matters with China, they are facing more than just a bureaucrat with a title. They're up against He Lifeng—China's Vice Premier and the central figure guiding Beijing's current economic engagements with the West.
He Lifeng isn't your typical diplomat. He hasn't studied in the West, he doesn't own property in California, and he didn't send his kids to Harvard. Instead, he represents a different archetype: a deeply embedded Party technocrat, loyal to Xi Jinping, and operating with the precision of a macroeconomic engineer.
He is a key member of the so-called "Fujian Clique"—a group of elite Chinese leaders who rose alongside Xi during his time governing Fujian province. Think of them as Xi's version of the PayPal Mafia: super-trusted, highly capable, and entrusted with the most sensitive assignments. For He, that means commanding the economic levers of the Chinese state and leading its negotiations on tariffs, rare earth minerals, and export controls.
Background and Rise to Power
Born in February 1955 in Yongding County, Fujian Province, He Lifeng came of age during the Cultural Revolution. Like many of his generation, he experienced the 'sent-down youth' movement before transitioning into higher education. He studied economics at Xiamen University, earning his bachelor's degree in 1982, followed by a master's in 1984 and a Ph.D. in 1998. He also completed advanced studies at Fudan University.
He began his career in the Fujian provincial government, holding various leadership roles in Quanzhou, Fuzhou, and Xiamen—often overlapping with Xi Jinping's own assignments in the province. His work in regional economic development paved the way for promotions to key posts in Tianjin and eventually to the powerful National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC), which he chaired from 2017 to 2023. In March 2023, he was appointed Vice Premier and joined the Politburo, later taking over the Central Financial and Economic Affairs Commission.
What This Means at the Negotiating Table
This matters to U.S. stakeholders because He Lifeng's approach is rigorously fact-based and devoid of diplomatic fluff. When he enters a room, he already knows the numbers he needs to hit, the fallback positions he can tolerate, and the thresholds at which Beijing will walk away. No amount of flattery will win him over. There's no personal connection to Western norms to soften his stance. He operates strictly within the bounds of strategy, policy, and national interest.
In 2024, during a bitter rare earth dispute, He led the talks that secured a phased reauthorization of Chinese magnet exports in exchange for a temporary U.S. freeze on semiconductor tariffs. That deal didn't emerge from sentiment or symbolism. It came from a technocrat who knew exactly what he could trade, what was non-negotiable, and how to package it.
Now in 2025, He Lifeng is again at the center of U.S.-China talks in London. His presence signals seriousness. His methodology signals difficulty. For American businesses and policymakers, understanding He Lifeng is key to grasping the shape of any future economic engagement with China.
You're not negotiating with a politician. You're negotiating with the CFO of China Inc. And he's got the numbers.