“Cui was a masterful diplomat … he was reserved and he would not throw a punch unless he was punched,” said Craig Allen at the US-China Business Council. “Qin Gang is more active and willing to speak up.” But Qin has earned respect in the US business community for seeking solutions to problems that affect US firms in China. “I have always found him to be very pragmatic — he is interested in the real problems that businesses are having in China, and he wants to help resolve those problems within the constraints that he has,” Allen said.