Zhu Min, the economist and member of China’s powerful five-year plan committee, was in Europe last month for discussions with officials in the bloc, to coincide with a much-anticipated visit by President Xi Jinping.
The arrival of the Chinese delegation took place against a backdrop of anti-subsidy probes being launched by Brussels into solar panels and electric vehicles exported by China, and the threat of tariffs on imported Chinese EVs, which have since been announced.
Zhu, who is also a former deputy managing director of the IMF, has previously held senior positions at the Bank of China and was a deputy governor of the People’s Bank of China.