A Look At Chinese President Xi's Inner circle, And The Role That They Will Play In U.S.-China Relations

Chinese President Xi Jinping and Chinese Vice-President Wang Qishan. Nikkei Asia Review

Wall Street Journal: All President Xi’s Men: China’s New Government Braces for Trump

Mr. Xi and deputies have met with U.S. officials recently, a sign of concern in Beijing about relations with the U.S.

BEIJING—Cleared to stay in power indefinitely, Chinese President Xi Jinping has discarded the leadership structure he inherited and is kicking off his second term with a handpicked team of trusted lieutenants.

For the next five years, Mr. Xi will look to his inner circle to shore up a sluggish economy, eradicate poverty and enhance China’s global standing—while shielding his ambitious agenda from being derailed by rocky relations with the U.S.

Two men in particular have emerged in key roles: Wang Qishan, the former anticorruption chief who took office as deputy head of state on Saturday, and Liu He, the architect of Mr. Xi’s economic policies, who is due for promotion on Monday.

In recent weeks, Mr. Xi and his two deputies met directly with U.S. officials, people familiar with the matter say—a sign of the president’s heightened concerns about China-U.S. ties.

Mr. Xi hosted the U.S. ambassador to Beijing, Terry Branstad, at an informal gathering of both men’s families in early February, according to people with knowledge of the event. The two have known each other since Mr. Xi visited the U.S. in 1985.

The president also dispatched Messrs. Wang and Liu to meet with the U.S. ambassador separately, those people said. And right before the start of the legislative session, Mr. Liu went to Washington, holding at times contentious talks with senior U.S. officials including Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin and U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer. A hoped-for meeting with President Donald Trump didn’t materialize.

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WNU editor: These appointments tell me the following. The priority for Chinese President Xi's administration will be the economy, eradicating poverty and building up China's middle class, enhancing China’s global standing, and keeping relations with the U.S. at the status quo. The problem will be the U.S. relationship .... and U.S. measures to slash China's massive trade surplus because of imbalances in trade.