Cui Tiankai served as China's ambassador to Washington, DC. During Donald Trump's first term he operated a back channel with Jared Kushner, Trump's son-in-law, that helped lay the ground for the first two Trump-Xi summits and the "phase one" trade deal signed in 2020. He retired in 2021 and was succeeded as ambassador by Qin Gang.
China reactivated Cui in 2025 to try to re-establish contact with Trump's close allies or family members. He has visited Washington at least twice in 2025 for meetings with business leaders and think-tanks, and has sought meetings with administration officials.
San Francisco isn't what it used to be, and it never was.