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Li Keqiang

Li Keqiang was named Premier of the State Council at the March 2013 National Peoples Congress. At the November 2012 Congress of the Communist Party of China, he was named to the peak decision-making Politburo Standing Committee. Li Keqiang was the candidate of the the Youth League Faction. Li was premier and head of the State Council for 10 years until he stepped down in March 2023. Li's life was a revolutionary, hard-working and glorious one, and one that was dedicated to wholeheartedly serving the people and the communist cause.

Li Keqiang was a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee, secretary of the CPC Liaoning Provincial Committee and chairman of the Standing Committee of the Liaoning Provincial People's Congress. At the National People’s Congress plenary held in March 2008, Li Keqiang was elected Vice Premier. Li Keqiang, an ethnic Han and native of Dingyuan, Anhui Province, was born in July 1955. He joined the CPC in May 1976 and began working in March 1974. Graduated from the School of Economics of Peking University, majoring in economics. With on-the-job postgraduate education, he holds a Doctor of Economics.

Li Keqiang was a member of the “China Communist Youth League Faction”. Li Keqiang’s appointment as PRC Vice-Premier placed him clearly in position to succeed Wen Jiabao as Premier, and to assume significant responsibilities for China’s macroeconomic policies. Relative to their counterparts in the “princeling faction", the “China Communist Youth League Faction,” cadres tend to favor policies that would benefit China’s lessdeveloped interior and address socioeconomic issues that threaten “social stability.” Also relative to their counterparts, they lack experience in some of the more complex aspects of national economic management, such as foreign trade relations or administering the financial sector.

Li was regarded by many observers as being a genuinely knowledgeable technocrat on economic issues, holding a Ph.D in economics from Beijing University. He was also viewed as someone who was like-minded and works smoothly with current Premier Wen Jiabao on most issues.147 During the Cultural Revolution, the youthful Li spent four years of labor in the countryside From 1974 to 1976 he was sent to work at Dongling Brigade, Damiao Commune, Fengyang County, Anhui Province. From 1976 to 1978 he was the Party branch secretary of Damiao Brigade, Damiao Commune, Fengyang County, Anhui Province. He was a student of the Department of Law and leading member of the Student Union of Peking University from 1978 to 1982, and in 1982 and1983 he was Secretary of the CYLC committee of Peking University.

From 1983 to 1985 he served as Director general of the School Department of the CYLC Central Committee and concurrently secretary general of the All-China Students' Federation, Alternate member of the Secretariat of the CYLC Central Committee, and from 1985 to 1993 he was a Member of the Secretariat of the CYLC Central Committee and vice chairman of the All-China Youth Federation (September-November 1991: studied at the Party School of CPC Central Committee). From 1993 to 1998 he was First secretary of the Secretariat of the CYLC Central Committee and concurrently president of the China Youth Political College (1988-1994: obtained MA and doctorate of Economics after attending the on-the-job postgraduate program on Economics at the School of Economics of Peking University).

In 1998 and 1999 he was Deputy secretary of the CPC Henan Provincial Committee and acting governor of Henan Province, and from 1999 to 2002 he served as Deputy secretary of the CPC Henan Provincial Committee and governor of Henan Province . In 2002 and 2003 he was Secretary of the CPC Henan Provincial Committee and governor of Henan Province, and during 2003 and 2004 he served as Secretary of the CPC Henan Provincial Committee and chairman of the Standing Committee of the Henan Provincial People's Congress. He put forward the goal of realizing the rise of central China and pushed for huge progress in various causes in Henan's economic and social sectors.

He served as Secretary of the CPC Liaoning Provincial Committee in 2004 and 2005, and from 2005 to 2007 he served as Secretary of the CPC Liaoning Provincial Committee and chairman of the Standing Committee of the Liaoning Provincial People's Congress. He firmly seized the combined opportunities of both the revitalization of northeast China and the opening up of coastal areas, and scored marked achievements in the revitalization of the old industrial bases in Liaoning.

In 2007 he was elected as a Member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee, secretary of the CPC Liaoning Provincial Committee and chairman of the Standing Committee of the Liaoning Provincial People's Congress. He was a Member of the Fifteenth, Sixteenth and Seventeenth CPC Central Committees. Member of the Political Bureau and its Standing Committee of the Seventeenth CPC Central Committee. Member of the Standing Committee of the Eighth National People's Congress.

In March 2008, Li was appointed vice premier of the State Council and served as deputy secretary of its Leading Party Members Group. He was in charge of the State Council's day-to-day work. He assisted in the work regarding responding to the international financial crisis, accelerating economic restructuring, deepening the implementation of the coordinated regional development strategy, promoting energy conservation, emission reduction and environmental protection, and furthering the reform of the medical and healthcare systems.

Laws and regulations forbid the termination of pregnancies based on the sex of the fetus, but because of the intersection of birth limitations and a traditional preference for male children, particularly in rural areas, many families used ultrasound technology to identify female fetuses and terminate these pregnancies. According to government estimates released in February, the national average for the male-female sex ratio at birth was 119 to 100 in 2009 (compared with norms elsewhere of between 103 and 107 to 100). The Chinese Academy of Social Sciences estimated that by 2020, there could be as many as 24 million more men than women of marriageable age (ages 19-45) in China. In September Vice Premier Li Keqiang announced that the government would "launch measures to narrow the widening ratio of men and women."

Although the government announced adjustments would be implemented to address the problem of unequal birth sex ratios, it also affirmed the orientation of its family-planning policy at the highest levels, including maintaining the policy as part of the 12th Five-Year Plan that will be in effect 2011-15. In September 2010 Vice Premier Li Keqiang emphasized, however, that the policy would be "better coordinated" to take into account long-term economic and social developments.

In February 2011 Chinese Vice Premier Li Keqiang ordered local governments to increase funding for affordable housing projects, stressing that the construction of 10 million units was a mandatory task that must be fulfilled this year. Speaking at a national conference on affordable housing for low and middle income groups, Li said that the construction of 10 million affordable housing units this year was of great significance for the government to stabilize public expectations, control housing prices, improve people's lives and boost domestic consumption. Li Keqiang also demanded the comprehensive enforcement of the country's food safety laws, urging checks to be tightened against unsafe food products.

In November 2012, Li was re-elected a member of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee and its standing committee at the first plenary session of the 18th CPC Central Committee. He was appointed premier of the State Council at the first session of the 12th NPC in March 2013 and served as the secretary of the Leading Party Members Group of the State Council.

Faced with complicated domestic and international situations, under the strong leadership of the CPC Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping at its core, Li followed the general principle of pursuing progress while ensuring stability, maintained strategic resolve, and improved approaches to macro regulation with greater attention to anticipatory adjustments, fine-tuning and targeted regulation.

In October 2017, Li was re-elected a member of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee and its standing committee at the first plenary session of the 19th CPC Central Committee. He was re-appointed premier of the State Council at the first session of the 13th NPC in March 2018 and again served as the secretary of the Leading Party Members Group of the State Council.

Under the strong leadership of the CPC Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping at its core, confronting multiple challenges including fast-changing international situations, the COVID-19 epidemic and downward pressure in the domestic economy, Li followed the general principle of pursuing progress while ensuring stability, fully and faithfully applied the new development philosophy on all fronts, worked to create a new pattern of development, promoted high-quality development, and balanced development and security imperatives.

Li took coordinated moves to keep economic growth stable, carry out reforms, promote structural adjustment, improve people's livelihood, prevent risks, and maintain stability. He made active efforts to expand effective domestic demand, keep major economic indicators within the appropriate range, and rely on innovation to optimize and upgrade industrial structures.

While serving as the premier, Li also served as head of the State Council's leading group for revitalizing old industrial bases in the northeast and other regions, head of the State Council's leading group for the development of the western region, head of the country's leading group for education, science and technology and head of the country's leading group for addressing climate change and energy conservation and emission reduction. Following the COVID-19 outbreak, Li assumed the post of head of the central leading group for COVID-19 response, and helped secure tremendously encouraging achievements in both epidemic response and economic and social development. Always bearing China's realities in mind, Li had been upholding and improving the country's basic socialist economic systems, and promoting economic reforms.

Li consistently advanced the reforms to develop the socialist market economy and struck a proper balance between the government and the market. This enabled the market to play a decisive role in resource allocation and the government to better play its role, thus promoting both an efficient market and a well-functioning government. He advanced reforms in key fields such as fiscal and tax systems, financial sectors and investment, as well as science and technology, while pursuing a broader agenda of opening up across more areas and in greater depth. To improve the people's well-being, Li devoted efforts to address prominent issues in employment, education, housing, healthcare, and elderly care.

In March 2023, Li no longer served as the premier. After retiring from the leadership post, Li continued to firmly uphold the leadership of the CPC Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping at its core, care for advancing the cause of the Party and the country, and firmly uphold the Party's efforts to improve conduct, build integrity, and combat corruption.

In meetings, Li was "quite engaging" and had a different style than many Chinese leaders. Observers likened Li to Western style politicians in that Li did not "retreat to rote statistics" but answered questions directly and with a certain frankness. Li did not speak English in formal settings but was "quite comfortable" speaking English in one-on-one side conversations. His English was not at a "high level, but it was sufficient to make himself understood." Li was not overbearing and "commanding", but he sometimes made jokes about himself and was comfortable asking other people in his delegation to respond to questions and add points to the conversation.

The press conference at the National People’s Congress has become an important tradition, providing a rare chance each year for people to see a more candid, human side to the country’s No. 2. Li Keqiang used the event to joke with reporters and poke fun at his own strong provincial accent. He once even set off a nationwide debate on poverty after complaining that two-fifths of people didn’t earn enough to rent a room in a medium-sized city.

Despite Li's liberal reputation, preserving stability remained his overriding task and defined his premiership.

Former Chinese premier Li Keqiang died of a heart attack on 28 October 2023 in Shangha. "Comrade Li was resting in Shanghai in recent days, when he was seized by a sudden heart attack. He died in Shanghai on Oct. 28 when all-out efforts to revive him failed. He was 68," said the statement carried by Xinhua News Agency.

The former head of China's State Council - or cabinet - who was charged with overseeing the Chinese economy, the world's second-largest, was seen as being sidelined in recent years by President Xi Jinping who has expanded his control and power over a wider spectrum of the economy, society and military.

Xi's maneuvers came as he removed a previous two-year term ceiling for the role of president and embarked on his third term in 2022. Under Xi's tightened grip, the economy turned towards a statist direction, shifting the focus to elevate the status of state-owned enterprises, even though many are seen to be ailing and inefficient. Xi also cracked down on powerful tech giants like Alibaba Group and Tencent, as well as information-related sectors such as private education and after-school tutoring providers.

The obituary notice calls for turning grief into strength to rally more closely around the CPC Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping at its core, and to strive in unity for fully building a strong country and achieving national rejuvenation through a Chinese path to modernization. "Eternal glory to Comrade Li Keqiang!" the obituary notice concludes.