The BBC is reporting that China has appointed a new trade envoy.
This, as officials say the US practice of tariff barriers and trade bullying is having a serious impact on the global economic order.
The envoy is Li Chenggang, a former assistant commerce minister and WTO ambassador.
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.
China’s already sluggish economy is bracing for the impact on a key source of revenue, exports.
Beijing announced on Wednesday its GDP grew by 5.4 per cent between January and March, compared with the same period a year earlier.
The figure has exceeded expectations but reflects the period before US tariffs jumped from 10 per cent to 145 per cent.
Chinese officials are warming of more economic pain ahead.
While both Washington and Beijing say they are open to negotiating, neither has made a move to do so yet.