Li Keqiang, the former Chinese premier, has passed away at the age of 68 due to a heart attack.
Keqiang, who once held the position of the second most powerful figure in the Chinese Communist Party, experienced an unexpected heart attack while on vacation in Shanghai, according to reports from state media. Despite attempts to resuscitate him, he did not survive, and he passed away on Friday morning.
Li was renowned for his pragmatic approach to economic policies and, during his final term, was the only top official who did not belong to the faction loyal to Xi Jinping.
Here is a comprehensive overview of Li Keqiang’s life and career:
Early Life and Political Ascent: Li Keqiang, born in July 1955 in Dingyuan County in Eastern China’s Anhui province, came from a modest background. He grew up during the tumultuous Cultural Revolution that lasted a decade from 1966 to 1976. In 1977, he enrolled at Peking University to study law and later completed his master’s degree in economics in 1988. Li was proficient in English and contributed to the translation of crucial legal works from English to Chinese, such as “The Due Process of Law” by Lord Denning. He completed his Ph.D. in economics with a dissertation on the structure of the Chinese economy, earning him the Sun Yefang Economics Prize.
Li Keqiang began his early political career within the Chinese Communist Youth League (CCYL), the Communist Party’s youth movement. In 1982, he became the secretary of the CCYL committee at Peking University.
Political Career: Li’s political journey continued when he became the youngest provincial governor in China, leading Henan province in 1988. Later, in December 2004, he assumed the role of party secretary in the northeastern province of Liaoning.
In March 2008, Li became the vice-premier. Many anticipated that he would succeed Hu Jintao as the president, but ultimately, Xi Jinping was chosen. Li officially became the premier in March 2013 amid significant attention to his economic policies, often referred to as ‘Likonomics.’ These policies aimed to reduce China’s reliance on debt-driven growth and transition the economy toward self-sustainability.
Li Keqiang was re-elected as the premier for a second five-year term in March 2018. He later retired from the party’s top leadership and, in 2023, stepped down from the position of premier.
Family: Details of Li Keqiang’s personal life are not extensively publicized. He was married to Cheng Hong, an English professor, and the couple had a daughter together.
Post Your Comments