Commentary On April 13, Xinhua, the Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP) mouthpiece, reported that Li Keqiang, the CCP’s premier, had a video conversation with U.S. business leaders and made a rare appearance using a soft tone, amidst an impasse between the Chinese regime and the United States. The CCP’s top brass has no choice but to put Li at the forefront of relations with the United States. Although Li’s words were apparently much softer, they seem to be too different from the confrontational stance of the CCP in the previous period, and I wonder if such a message has made the U.S. government feel relieved or confused. For many years, the CCP’s leader, in his capacity as chairman of the state, has been directly responsible for diplomacy with the United States, leaving the Chinese premier effectively out of the picture. Li is no exception, as he has been unable to be …