Li Keqiang
Li Keqiang | |
---|---|
李克强 | |
7th Premier of the People's Republic of China | |
In office 15 March 2013 – 11 March 2023 | |
President | Xi Jinping |
Vice Premier | Cabinet I (2013–2018) Cabinet II (2018–2023) |
Preceded by | Communist Party Secretary of Liaoning |
In office 13 December 2004 – 29 October 2007 | |
Governor | Zhang Wenyue |
Preceded by | Wen Shizhen |
Succeeded by | Zhang Wenyue |
Communist Party Secretary of Henan | |
In office 30 December 2002 – 13 December 2004 | |
Governor | Li Chengyu |
Preceded by | Chen Kuiyuan |
Succeeded by | Xu Guangchun |
First Secretary of the Communist Youth League of China | |
In office 10 May 1993 – 23 June 1998 | |
Preceded by | Song Defu |
Succeeded by | Zhou Qiang |
Personal details | |
Born | CCP (from 1974) | 3 July 1955
Spouse |
PhD) |
Cabinet | Li Keqiang Government |
Signature | |
Scientific career | |
Fields | Economics |
Thesis | On the ternary structure of Chinese economy (1991) |
Doctoral advisor | Li Yining |
Central institution membership Leading group posts
Other offices held
| |
Chinese name | |
Hanyu Pinyin | Lǐ Kèqiáng |
Gwoyeu Romatzyh | Lii Kehchyang |
Wade–Giles | Li K'o-ch'iang |
IPA | [lì kʰɤ̂.tɕʰjǎŋ] |
Yue: Cantonese | |
Yale Romanization | Léih Hāk-kèuhng |
IPA | [lei˩˧ hɐk̚˥.kʰœːŋ˩] |
Li Keqiang (
Born in
Initially seen as a candidate for becoming the
Given his Youth League experience, Li was generally considered a political ally of former leader Hu Jintao and a member of the Tuanpai faction. Economically seen as advocating reform and liberalization, Li has been described as representing the more pragmatic and technocratic side of China's leadership. Li stepped down from the Politburo Standing Committee in October 2022 and was succeeded as premier by Li Qiang in March 2023. Li died in October 2023 from a heart attack, after leaving office just a few months prior.
Early life and education
Li Keqiang was born on 3 July 1955 in Dingyuan County of Hefei, Anhui province.[3][1] His father was a local official in Anhui. Li graduated from Hefei No. 8 Senior High School in 1974, during the Cultural Revolution, and was sent for rural labour in an agriculture commune in Fengyang County, Anhui. There, he joined the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) in 1976 and became the party head of the local production team.[3] He was awarded the honor of Outstanding Individual in the Study of Mao Zedong Thought during this time.[4]
Li refused his father's offer of grooming him for the local county's party leadership and entered Peking University Law School in 1978, where he became the president of the university's student council.[5] He studied under Professor Gong Xiangrui, a well-known British-educated expert on Western political systems.[3] Together with his classmates, he translated important legal works from English to Chinese, including Lord Denning's book The Due Process of Law.[3] He received a Bachelor of Laws degree in 1982.[5]
In 1982, Li became the Communist Youth League of China (CYLC) Committee Secretary at Peking University.[6] He entered the top leadership of the national CYLC in 1983 as an alternate member of CYLC Central Committee's Secretariat,[3] and worked closely with future Party General Secretary Hu Jintao, who also rose through the ranks of the CYLC. He was appointed as a secretary of the CYLC Secretariat in 1985.[3]
In 1988, he returned to Peking University for graduate studies. He studied economics under prominent economist Li Yining, who was his doctoral advisor.[7] He received a Master of Economics and a Doctor of Philosophy in Economics from Peking University in 1995.[8] At the invitation of Li Yining, Li Keqiang's doctoral dissertation review committee was composed of well-known Chinese economists and researchers. Because of the high academic rigor of the committee, Li Keqiang postponed the defense of his dissertation by half a year.[9] Described as being able to "withstand any kind of inspection" by his doctoral advisor, Li Keqiang's doctoral dissertation, "On the ternary structure of Chinese economy", published in 1991, was awarded the Sun Yefang Prize, China's highest prize in economics, in 1996.[10][11][12]
Li became the CYLC's first secretary in 1993 and served in that role until 1998.[3] In 1993, Li proposed the CYLC's Youth Volunteers Operation, which recruits and channels volunteers intro educational, social, and environmental projects.[13]: 130 It is regarded as an important achievement of his tenure as CYLC first secretary.[13]: 130 Li was a representative member of the first generation to have risen from the CYLC leadership.[citation needed] In 1997, he became a full member of the CCP Central Committee.[3]
Provincial tenures
Henan (1998–2004)
Li became the youngest Chinese provincial governor in June 1998 when he was appointed governor of Henan at the age of 43. He also became Henan's Deputy Communist Party Secretary.[3] According to provincial officials working with him at the time, Li refused to participate in any banquets or large fancy events not related to government activities.[14] During his time as governor, a public sense of his "bad luck" grew due to the occurrence of three major fires in the province.[15]
Li was known to be outspoken and led economic development in Henan, transforming the poor inland region into an attractive area for investment.[citation needed] He trekked through all regions of the province trying to search for a comprehensive solution to its growing problems.[citation needed] He was appointed to become Henan's Communist Party secretary in 2002, the province's top political office, and left his post as governor in 2003.[3] Henan jumped in national GDP rankings from 28th in the early 1990s to 18th in 2004, when Li left Henan. However, his government was relatively ineffective at curbing the HIV/AIDS epidemic that was affecting the rural areas of the province.[16]
Liaoning (2004–2007)
Li was transferred to work as the Party secretary of
Vice Premiership (2008–2013)
Li joined the CCP Politburo Standing Committee after the 17th Party Congress held in October 2007 as its 7th-ranking member. He was succeeded in his Liaoning party secretary post by governor Zhang Wenyue. Given his Youth League experience and his association with then paramount leader Hu Jintao, Li was viewed from early on in Hu's term as a contender to succeed Hu when his term as party leader ended in 2012.[19] While Li's political future seemed promising, he was outranked on the Standing Committee by Xi Jinping, who had just left his role as party secretary of Shanghai to join the central leadership ranks in Beijing. This rank order ostensibly signaled that it would be Xi, not Li, who would eventually succeed Hu as party general secretary and president. At the 1st Session of the 11th National People's Congress, Li was elected as the first-ranking vice premier, reinforcing the speculation that Li would become premier and was being groomed to succeed Premier Wen Jiabao.[15]
Li's portfolio as vice premier included economic development, government budgets, land and resources, the environment, and health.[20] He also became the head of central commissions overseeing the Three Gorges Dam and the South–North Water Transfer Project, as well as the leader of steering committees in charge of health care reform, food safety, and AIDS-related work.[citation needed] In addition, Li was the principal lieutenant to premier Wen Jiabao in the broad portfolios of climate change, energy, information technology, northeastern China revitalization, and developing the Chinese far west.[citation needed]
As vice premier, Li was instrumental in pushing through an
In February 2010, Li gave a speech to ministerial and provincial-level leaders about the importance of changing the economic structure of the country in order to be better poised for future growth. The speech was published with minor omissions in the 1 June issue of
In August 2011, Li went on an official visit to Hong Kong, including a trip to the University of Hong Kong The political sensitivities and heightened security surrounding the event resulted in the Hong Kong 818 incident, an event that caused controversy in the territory.[26][27]
Premiership (2013–2023)
Li was elevated to the number two spot on the PSC at the 18th CCP National Congress held in the fall of 2012. As he was expected to become premier, this was a shift from previous convention on the PSC set in 1997 whereby the premier ranked third, after the chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress, who ranked second. On 15 March 2013, Li Keqiang was elected by the 1st Session of the 12th National People's Congress (NPC) as premier, succeeding Wen Jiabao.[28] Of the nearly 3,000 legislators assembled at the Congress, 2,940 voted for him, three against, and six abstained.[28] At the same Congress, Party general secretary Xi Jinping was elected President.[29]
On 16 March, the NPC appointed Zhang Gaoli, Liu Yandong, Wang Yang, and Ma Kai as vice premiers following their respective nominations from Li Keqiang.[30] He gave his first major speech 17 March at the conclusion of the NPC, calling for frugality in government, a fairer distribution of income and continued economic reform. Li focused his attention on China to move towards a consumption based economy instead of relying on export led growth.[31] Li was ranked 14th of the 2013 Forbes list of the World's Most Powerful People, after taking the office of Chinese premier.[32] On 18 March 2018, Li was reappointed premier of China after receiving 2,964 votes in favour and just two against by the NPC.[33]
Economic policy
Li was a firm believer in the use of robust economic data to aid in government decision making. When Li initially entered office, China was facing numerous structural problems inherited from the previous administration, namely the large abundance of non-performing loans that many of the giant infrastructure projects the country had embarked on since the global financial crisis was overloaded with crushing debt, lower than expected revenues, and the increasingly large
After the announcement of comprehensive reforms at the Third Plenum in 2013, Li became a leading figure of the government's reform implementation efforts. The Third Plenum called for market forces to play a "decisive" role in the allocation of resources, ostensibly looking to decrease government regulation on the free market. In early 2014, Li said that local governments were still ineffective at following the central government's reform directives, and that some governments meddle in affairs they shouldn't be involved in, and some don't pay attention to things they should be doing. Li emphasized that the success of reforms came down to "execution and implementation", and criticized local governments for failing to act in support of reforms.[36]
Domestic policy
Li was critical of unnecessary government bureaucracy, particularly at the grassroots level. He stated his belief that many lower-level officials fail to provide services to the public in an effective manner. Regarding his disdain for the matter, Li's many quotable anecdotes have become viral. Li referred to a case in which a citizen filling out a form to travel overseas (normal in the PRC) had to write down an emergency contact (the citizen put down their mother as the contact), and the government official overseeing the matter asked the citizen to provide a notarized document to "prove your mom is your mom."[37] Li called this incident "absolutely preposterous". In another case, he referred to a grassroots civil servant who asked for proof that a one-year old does not have a criminal record in order to deliver a government service.[38] In yet another case, Li referred to a senior citizen applying for welfare benefits being forced by government employees to provide proof that "they are still alive." Regarding the latter two incidents, Li said, "this is not a joke, it's all real!"[38]
From January 2020, Li was in charge of the Chinese government's response to the COVID-19 pandemic.[39][40] On 27 January, Li visited Wuhan, the original epicenter of the pandemic, to direct outbreak prevention work.[41]
Foreign affairs
Li Keqiang made his first foreign visit to India on 18 May 2013 in a bid to resolve
During his visit to Pakistan, Li met with the country's top leadership and expressed his views: "As Pakistan's closest friend and brother, we would like to provide as much assistance as we can for the Pakistani side".[44]
Li also visited Switzerland and Germany on his first Europe trip, and met with the two countries' leaders.[45]
United States lieutenant general
-
June 2013, Li meets the South Korean president Park Geun-hye.
-
December 2013, Li meets the Dutch prime minister Mark Rutte.
-
February 2014, Li meets the United States Secretary of State John Kerry.
-
May 2015, Li meets the Brazilian president Dilma Rousseff.
-
May 2018, Li meets the Japanese prime minister Shinzo Abe.
-
November 2018, Li meets the Russian president Vladimir Putin.
Relationship with Xi Jinping
There has been speculation that Li may have been sidelined by Xi Jinping's consolidation of power,[47] with some calling him the "weakest premier" since the CCP took power in 1949.[48]
At the Third Plenum of the 18th Central Committee held in the fall of 2013, the CCP announced far-reaching economic and social reforms. However, the document outlining the reforms was drafted under the
Following the Third Plenum of 2013, Xi amassed a series of leadership roles on four new powerful supra-ministerial bodies overseeing "
Post-premiership (2023)
On 11 March 2022, Li confirmed that he would be stepping down as premier of China upon the expiry of his second term in March 2023.[52] However, there was speculation that he might continue serving as CCP Politburo Standing Committee member in another post, such as the chairman of the National People's Congress Standing Committee, which were ultimately without foundation.[53] During the 20th National Congress of the Chinese Communist Party in October 2022, Li stepped down from the CCP Central Committee.[54] Li's term officially ended on 11 March 2023, and he was succeeded by Li Qiang, a close ally of Xi.[55] Although it was excluded from the official transcript, his farewell speech included the remark: "While people work, heaven watches. Heaven has eyes."[48]
Death
Li Keqiang died in Shanghai at 00:10 CST on 27 October 2023 at the age of 68 after a heart attack the previous day.
Li's remains were flown to Beijing on 27 October. Li was married to Cheng Hong, a professor in English Language and Literature (especially American Naturalism) at the Capital University of Economics and Business in Beijing. His father-in-law was once the deputy secretary of the Communist Youth League Central Committee. He spoke conversational English.[63]
Li was generally regarded as advocating economic reform and liberalization.[47] He was described as representing the less ideological and more pragmatic and technocratic side of China's leadership.[64] In August 2022, Li gave a speech in Shenzhen praising Deng Xiaoping and his economic reforms, which was later censored by the Chinese government.[65] Wang Juntao, a Chinese dissident and former colleague of Li during his studies at the Peking University, said that Li was "very interested" in political reform.[66]
Personal life
Political views
Awards and honors
Publications
See also
Explanatory notes
References
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External links