Li Keqiang
Li Keqiang (Chinese: 李克强; pinyin: Lǐ Kèqiáng; 3 July 1955 – 27 October 2023) was a Chinese economist and politician who served as the premier of the People's Republic of China from 2013 to 2023. He was also the second-ranked member of the Politburo Standing Committee of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) from 2012 to 2022. Li was a major part of the "fifth generation of Chinese leadership" along with Xi Jinping, the CCP general secretary.
For his successor as Chinese premier, see Li Qiang..svg)
Born in Hefei, Anhui province, in 1955, Li initially rose through the ranks of Chinese politics through his involvement in the Communist Youth League of China (CYLC), serving as its first secretary from 1993 to 1998. From 1998 to 2004, Li served as the governor of Henan and the province's party secretary. From 2004 to 2007 he served as the party secretary of Liaoning, the top political office in the province. From 2008 to 2013, Li served as the first-ranked vice premier[note 1] under then-premier Wen Jiabao, overseeing a broad portfolio which included economic development, price controls, finance, climate change, and macroeconomic management.
Initially seen as a candidate for becoming the paramount leader, Li instead assumed the post of premier in 2013, and facilitated the Chinese government's shifting of priorities from export-led growth to a greater focus on internal consumption. During his term Li headed the State Council and was one of the leading figures behind China's Financial and Economic Affairs, Foreign Affairs, National Security and Deepening Reforms. Additionally, Li and his cabinet initiated the Made in China 2025 strategic plan in May 2015.
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[edit]
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. In 1997, he became a full member of the CCP Central Committee.[3]
Provincial tenures[edit]
Henan (1998–2004)[edit]
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. He trekked through all regions of the province trying to search for a comprehensive solution to its growing problems. 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)[edit]
Li was transferred to work as the Party secretary of Liaoning in December 2004.[3] There he was known for the "Five Points and One Line" project, where he linked Dalian, Dandong, and a series of other ports into a comprehensive network to improve trade flow.[17] During his leadership in Liaoning, Li designed the "Li Keqiang index", an unconventional economic indicator that aimed to bypass the often unreliable official provincial GDP numbers, which were often artificially inflated, and thus serve as a better indicator of economic health. Instead of gathering data on total economic output alone, Li used railway cargo volume, electricity consumption, and total loans disbursed by banks to keep tabs on the economy.[18]
Personal life[edit]
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]
Political views[edit]
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]
