During his presentation at Shanghai’s Lujiazui Forum, the 67-year-old technocrat didn’t refer directly to the U.S. or the trade talks that he has led. His arguments about China’s economic wherewithal dovetailed with Chinese officialdom’s assertion that Beijing can weather a trade fight it sees as having been started by the U.S. Known for pro-market economic viewpoints, Mr. Liu has spent his career in the background of internal debates over China’s direction. That profile made him at times seem an odd choice as frontman for the highly politicized trade talks, though he is trusted by President Xi Jinping, a boyhood friend. During the trade talks, Mr. Liu has occasionally delivered sound bites to China’s state-run media, but the fluent English speaker has said little publicly. After talks appeared to reach an impasse a month ago, Mr. Liu gave an interview to Chinese media, denying U.S. accusations that China scuttled the […]