Li Qiang
Li Qiang, male, Han ethnicity, was born in July 1959 and is from Rui'an County, Zhejiang Province. He began his first job in July 1976 and joined the Communist Party of China (CPC) in April 1983. He received a graduate education at the Central Party School and holds an executive MBA degree. The 14th National People's Congress opened in Beijing on 05 March 2023. The congress saw Xi Jinping re-elected as President, or head of state, and Li Qiang succeed Li Keqiang as premier of the State Council.
Political struggle will now replace economic prosperity as the main party line, as the concept has been written into the newly amended CCP charter. The CCP replaced the philosophy of economic construction of the past four decades with the philosophy of political struggle. This will be the new party line and the new program, which is why Li Keqiang and all the other heirs to Deng Xiaoping's economic development line have all been purged.
Former Shanghai party chief Li Qiang has succeeded outgoing economic reformer Li Keqiang as Xi's second-in-command and therefore most likely candidate for premier, while Xi stalwarts Zhao Leji and Wang Huning remain in the seven-member Politburo Standing Committee. They have been joined by newly promoted former Beijing party chief Cai Qi, former party general office director Ding Xuexiang and former Guangdong party chief Li Xi, all of whom were formerly members of the Politburo.
Li Qiang was anointed as the second-ranking Politburo Standing Committee member 23 October 2022. Li’s appointment demonstrates that Xi placed loyalty and trustworthiness above all else. Shanghai's 25 million people were put under lockdown for two months, an ordeal that provoked anger and protest.
When Xi was Zhejiang province’s top party boss, Li was his chief of staff and his de facto top personal aide from 2004 until 2007, before Xi left for Shanghai’s top party post. After Xi became China’s leader, he promoted Li first to governor of Zhejiang and then to party secretary of Jiangsu province, providing him with the regional governing experience and credentials he needed for bigger roles.
The new leadership of the Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping at its core unites and leads the whole Party, the whole army, the people of all ethnic groups in the country, self-confidence, self-improvement, uprightness and innovation, forge ahead with determination and perseverance, towards building a modern socialist country in an all-round way and promoting the greatness of the Chinese nation in an all-round way. The grand goal of revival marches forward.
Li Qiang, secretary of the Shanghai Municipal Party Committee, once followed Xi Jinping's "clearing" epidemic prevention policy and pushed for a two-month strict closure of the city in Shanghai, causing complaints, starvation and economic stagnation. However, at the First Plenary Session of the 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China led by Xi Jinping, Li Qiang unexpectedly became the second member of the Politburo Standing Committee after Xi Jinping, and will succeed Li Keqiang as prime minister in March next year. Some analysts say that Li Qiang's promotion shows that Xi Jinping, the most authoritarian leader of the CCP since Mao Zedong, regards loyalty above all else.
The 63-year-old Li Qiang, the second-ranked member of the Politburo Standing Committee of the Communist Party of China, broke with the party's tradition of being promoted from vice-premier to prime minister since 1976. Xi Jinping himself broke the decades-old practice and consensus that the top leaders of the Communist Party of China were re-elected for no more than two terms, and was re-elected for a third term. He also broke the practice of "seven ups and eight downs" (remaining at 67 and retiring at 68), forcing out the 67-year-old Standing Committee member, Premier Li Keqiang and Chairman of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference Wang Yang, who "retired naked" and failed to enter the Central Committee.
Xi Jinping broke the decades-old practice of the top CCP, filled the Central Standing Committee with his own faction cronies, and appointed Li Qiang, who had never served in the central government, as prime minister, which really surprised the outside world.
It has been widely predicted that the more reform-minded Wang Yang, who served as vice premier, may succeed Li Keqiang as premier, or Hu Chunhua, who is currently vice premier, may also become permanent and take over the post of premier. Li Qiang did not appear on their predicted list. The Shanghai-based party official eclipsed two other candidates with more traditional credentials, a powerful move that reflects Xi's placing his allies on the Standing Committee, the highest level of power.
Vice Premier Hu Chunhua, who was born in the "Tuanpai", has not only failed to become a "normal" as predicted, but has not been re-elected as a member of the Politburo. From the former "Prince" to the current "out", Hu Chunhua's encounter reflects the latest reality of the CCP's officialdom. After Hu Chunhua was "out", considering the political reality that the Standing Committee of the Politburo was all "Xi's army", some analysts used "destroy the regiment" to describe the situation of the regimental faction in today's CCP political arena.
Although not a member of Xi's party, Hu Chunhua has always been low-key and cautious in politics, but the road to "successor" was blocked at the 19th National Congress of the Communist Party of China at the end of 2017, and he failed to be promoted to the Standing Committee of the Politburo.
Xi Jinping made Li Qiang, who had been his "big secret" in power in Zhejiang and basically held a party position, as the prime minister, which not only proved that Xi Jinping has firmly dominated the CCP, but also made the outside world have doubts about the future direction of China's economy. In the past few years, Xi Jinping has emphasized the need to control the development of private enterprises, continue to strictly implement the "dynamic zero" epidemic prevention policy, and emphasized that national security is higher than pragmatism, all of which will drag down economic growth.
Li Qiang, who was born in 1959, started working in July 1976 and entered the Ningbo Agricultural College in October 1978. After joining the CCP in 1983, he has been working in Zhejiang, and has been promoted to the deputy director of the General Office of the Zhejiang Provincial Government and the director of the Provincial Administration for Industry and Commerce. In April 2002, he served as the secretary of the CPC Wenzhou Municipal Committee.
In November 2004, Li Qiang ushered in a major turning point in his career. He served as Secretary General of the Provincial Party Committee of Xi Jinping, then Secretary of the Provincial Party Committee, and became a general in the "New Jiang Army" of Xi Jinping's faction.
In September 2005, 46-year-old Li Qiang was promoted to the Standing Committee and Secretary General of the Zhejiang Provincial Party Committee. In February 2011, he also served as the Secretary of the Political and Legal Committee. In November 2011, he was promoted to Deputy Secretary of the Zhejiang Provincial Party Committee. In November 2012, he was elected as an alternate member of the Central Committee at the 18th National Congress of the Communist Party of China.
On December 21, 2012, Li Qiang succeeded Xia Baolong as the vice governor and acting governor of Zhejiang Province. Li Qiang was elected governor of east China's Zhejiang Province on 31 January 2013 at the first session of the 12th Zhejiang Provincial People's Congress, the local legislative body. Li began serving as deputy chief of the Zhejiang provincial committee of the Communist Party of China (CPC) in November 2011 before being appointed acting governor and vice governor of the booming coastal province in December 2012. He was elected an alternate member of the 18th Central Committee of the Communist Party of China in November 2012.
"Alibaba paid around 30 million yuan in taxes per day … it is the only Internet enterprise that pays taxes of over 10 billion yuan in China and it has made great contributions to the society," Li Qiang, governor of Zhejiang, was quoted by news site zjol.com in April 2014.
On September 24, 2015, the honorable LI Qiang, Governor of Zhejiang Province, led a delegation team from Zhejiang Province to visit Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley Lab). Honorary Zhejiang delegates accompanying the Governor included Yonghui Jin, Director General of Zhejiang Provincial Foreign and Overseas Chinese Affairs Department, Jianming Shen, Deputy Secretary General of Zhejiang Provincial People's Government, and other Zhejiang officials.
Zhejiang Governor Mr. Li offered his appreciation to Berkeley Lab and expressed his desire for research collaboration and technical exchange, especially in the areas of clean energy and low carbon policy development. Mr. Li remarked, "Zhejiang Province was just designated as the only clean energy demonstration province in China and Berkeley Lab can bring its experiences in international best practices to Zhejiang province". Mr. Li wishes to collaborate with Berkeley and China Energy Group through researcher exchanges, technology demonstration, and research collaboration.
On June 05, 2017 Governor Edmund G. Brown met with Jiangsu Party Secretary Li Qiang and signed an agreement to expand cooperation on clean energy technology to help improve and advance energy efficiency and storage, renewable energy, grid modernization, zero-emission vehicles and low-carbon urban development. Jiangsu Province, with a GDP of more than $1 trillion, is home to approximately 80 million people and is China’s most densely populated province. Jiangsu Province became California’s sister state in 1985 and since Governor Brown took office, he has maintained deep ties with the province.
As the birthplace of the Communist Party of China, Shanghai has become the window for the world to observe China, the hub of the country's ties with the world, and the important carrier of China's major strategies, Li Qiang, Shanghai's Party secretary, said 18 June 2021 during the opening speech at "Shanghai's Achievements in Practicing Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era: A Special Thematic Dialogue".
Li Qiang, secretary of the Shanghai Municipal Party Committee, initially took relatively flexible measures in the prevention and control of the new coronavirus epidemic. However, after the surge in infections caused by the mutant strain of Omicron this year, Li Qiang closed Shanghai, China's financial center and economic center, for two months, causing rare social unrest and food shortages for more than 20 million citizens under the lockdown, with mass starvation, some jumping off buildings to commit suicide, while Shanghai's economy shrank by nearly 14% in the second quarter.
In Shanghai, however, many believe that the central government, not Li Qiang, led the decision to close the city. And Li Qiang had to show loyalty to Xi Jinping's strict "zeroing" policy. As Xi Jinping's most trusted confidant, Li Qiang's loyalty to Xi Jinping was finally rewarded at the 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China, and his political career was not affected by the closure.
After Li Qiang chaotically handled Shanghai's severe two-month lockdown, his chances of getting such a high-ranking job at the time seemed limited, as the city's 25 million residents struggled for food and basic medical care during that time. struggle. According to Richard McGregor of the Lowy Institute in Sydney, Australia: If there is every evidence that loyalty trumps meritocracy in Xi's China, then Li Qiang's promotion is that. "Li Qiang may be capable enough to be a good prime minister, but other than a personal favor from Xi Jinping, it's hard to see how Li Qiang achieved such a promotion," he said.
Protests simmered in Shanghai as residents in several Chinese cities pushed back against heavy COVID-19 curbs nearly three years into the pandemic. Shanghai on 25 June 2022 announced it had won the battle against the latest round of COVID-19 outbreak, a confirmation of the correct decisions and plans made by the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee, as well as unity and painstaking efforts by people across the country. "Faced with a new round of severe outbreak since March, we firmly implemented the directions by the General Secretary of the CPC Central Committee Xi Jinping and the decisions and plans by the CPC Central Committee, and made painstaking efforts under the support of relevant departments of the central government, local governments and the army", Li Qiang, secretary of the Shanghai Municipal Committee of the CPC, said at the 12th CPC Shanghai Congress, a key meeting which will review Shanghai Party committee's work in the past five years, and set guidelines and goals for the next five years.
"The fight against the epidemic, especially the battle to protect Shanghai, makes us understand profoundly the correctness of the decisions and plans of the CPC Central Committee over anti-pandemic responses, as well as the unparalleled advantage of socialism with Chinese characteristics," Li said, noting that Shanghai's perseverance and every one's contribution will be written in history.
The Communist Party of China (CPC) on 23 October 2022 unveiled its new top leadership, which will lead the world's most populous nation on its new journey toward a great modern socialist country in all respects. Greeted by rapturous rounds of applause, Xi led Li Qiang, Zhao Leji, Wang Huning, Cai Qi, Ding Xuexiang and Li Xi onto a red-carpeted stage at the Great Hall of the People. They are members of the newly-elected Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee.
Senior Communist Party of China (CPC) official Li Qiang on 11 December 2022 attended the opening session of the 13th national congress of the All-China Federation of Industry and Commerce (ACFIC), and delivered a congratulatory speech on behalf of the CPC Central Committee and the State Council. Li, a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee, said in the address that the CPC Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping at the core has unswervingly consolidated and developed the public sector while encouraging, supporting and guiding the development of the non-public sector since the 19th CPC National Congress.
The leadership has rolled out an array of reform measures to bolster the development of the private sector, with persistent efforts being made to create a favorable environment for the sector, said Li. Thanks to these efforts, China's private sector has expanded remarkably in terms of size and strength, and has played an irreplaceable role in boosting economic development, creating jobs, improving people's livelihoods, promoting innovation, deepening reforms and advancing opening-up, he said.
Highlighting the significant contributions of all levels of industrial and commerce federations, Li said that these federations, under the guidance of Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era, should strive for the high-quality development of private companies, high-level technological independence and high-level opening-up.
The federations should make efforts to encourage private firms to advance common prosperity and lead them to boost rural revitalization, stabilize employment and increase incomes, Li said. Efforts should also be made to create a cordial and clean relationship between government and business, with policies conducive to business development and market environment featuring fair competition, Li added.
Li Qiang will run the State Council as prime minister, coordinating various government ministries, including the central bank, the People's Bank of China. In reality, however, Xi Jinping has long since ensured that major economic decisions are under his control by serving as the head of various groups in the CPC Central Committee, greatly diluting the powers of the premier.
2017 Member, CPC Central Committee Political Bureau
Secretary, CPC Jiangsu Provincial Committee
Chairman, Standing Committee of the Jiangsu Provincial People's Congress
2017 Secretary, CPC Jiangsu Provincial Committee
Chairman, Standing Committee of the Jiangsu Provincial People's Congress
2016-2017 Secretary, CPC Jiangsu Provincial Committee
2013-2016 Deputy Secretary, CPC Zhejiang Provincial Committee
Governor, Zhejiang Province
2012-2013 Deputy Secretary, CPC Zhejiang Provincial Committee
Acting Governor, Zhejiang Province
2012 Deputy Secretary, CPC Zhejiang Provincial Committee
Secretary, Political and Legal Affairs Committee of the CPC Zhejiang Provincial Committee
2011-2012 Deputy Secretary and Secretary-General, CPC Zhejiang Provincial Committee
Secretary, Political and Legal Affairs Committee of the CPC Zhejiang Provincial Committee
2005-2011 Standing Committee member and Secretary-General, CPC Zhejiang Provincial Committee
Studied executive business administration at Faculty of Business, Hong Kong Polytechnic University and received an executive MBA degree (2003-2005)
2004-2005 Secretary-General, CPC Zhejiang Provincial Committee
2003-2004 Secretary, CPC Wenzhou Municipal Committee, Zhejiang Province
Chairman, Standing Committee of the Wenzhou Municipal People's Congress
Attended an in-service graduate program in world economy at the Central Party School (2001-2004)
2002-2003 Secretary, CPC Wenzhou Municipal Committee, Zhejiang Province
2000-2002 Director and Party Committee Secretary, Zhejiang Provincial Administration for Industry and Commerce
Took a one-year training course for young and middle-aged officials at the Central Party School (2001-2002)
1998-2000 Deputy Director and Leading Party Members Group member, General Office of the Zhejiang Provincial Government
1998 Member, Standing Committee of the CPC Jinhua Municipal Committee, Zhejiang Province
Secretary, CPC Yongkang Municipal Committee, Zhejiang Province
Chairman, Standing Committee of the Jinhua Municipal People's Congress
1996-1998 Member, Standing Committee of the CPC Jinhua Municipal Committee, Zhejiang Province
Secretary, CPC Yongkang Municipal Committee, Zhejiang Province
Attended a graduate program in management engineering at Zhejiang University (1995-1997)
1992-1996 Deputy Director and Leading Party Members Group member, Zhejiang Provincial Department of Civil Affairs
1991-1992 Member of the Leading Party Members Group and Chief of the Personnel Office, Zhejiang Provincial Department of Civil Affairs
1990-1991 Chief, Disaster Relief Office, Zhejiang Provincial Department of Civil Affairs
1988-1990 Chief, Rural Poverty Relief Office, Zhejiang Provincial Department of Civil Affairs
1985-1988 Deputy Chief, Rural Poverty Relief Office, Zhejiang Provincial Department of Civil Affairs
Studied sociology through Correspondence University of Chinese Sociology (1985-1987)
Department of Disaster Relief, Ministry of Civil Affairs (on secondment, Dec 1985-Jul 1986)
1984-1985 Staff member, Rural Poverty Relief Office, Zhejiang Provincial Department of Civil Affairs
1984 Secretary, CYL Rui'an County Committee, Zhejiang Province
1983-1984 Staff member, CYL Rui'an County Committee, Zhejiang Province
1982-1983 Head, CYL Xincheng Area Committee, Rui'an County, Zhejiang Province
1978-1982 Studied agricultural mechanization at Department of Agricultural Mechanization, Ningbo Campus, Zhejiang Agricultural University
1977-1978 Employee, Number Three Tools Plant, Rui'an County, Zhejiang Province
1976-1977 Employee, Mayu Area Electric Pumping Station, Rui'an County, Zhejiang Province
Sub-team in Jiangxi Commune, Lines Education Work Team, Rui'an County, Zhejiang Province (on secondment, Apr-Oct 1977)
Alternate member, 18th CPC Central Committee
Appointed member of the 18th CPC Central Committee at the Seventh Plenary Session of the 18th CPC Central Committee
Member, 19th CPC Central Committee
Member, 19th CPC Central Committee Political Bureau.
|
NEWSLETTER
|
| Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list |
|
|
|
