Li Keqiang
Premier, People's Republic of China- Li Keqiang’s political career had begun even before he entered college. In 1976, he was made the secretary of the Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP) commune branch
- While attending Peking University, he joined the Chinese Communist Youth League (CCYL) in 1982 and became the party’s secretary in the college
- In 1993, Keqiang was appointed as the first secretary or the head of CCYL
- He next moved to CCP and was first elected as the acting governor of Henan province in 1998 and later as the governor the following year
- In 2002, he was appointed as CCP’s party secretary in Henan province
- Keqiang was then given charge of Liaoning province and made the party’s secretary there in December 2004
- He next became a part of the CCP’s national leadership team and was elected to the party’s Politburo Standing Committee in 2007
- In March 2008, Keqiang was elected as the vice-premier of China
- He then became the premier of the People’s Republic of China in 2013
- Keqiang was re-elected for a second five-year term as the premier of China in March 2018
Before you go...
- When Keqiang was appointed as the governor of Henan province in 1998, he was the youngest provincial governor in China at the time
- Known for his fluent English, he played a pivotal role in the translation of several important English legal books/documents to Chinese
Li Keqiang News
- Former Chinese premier Li Keqiang sidelined by President Xi Jinping dies months after retirementLi Keqiang was once viewed as a top Communist Party leadership contender, but became increasingly sidelined by Xi in recent years. He memorably said in 2020 that over 600 million people in China earned less than the equivalent of $140 per month, sparking a wider debate on poverty and income inequality.
- China's new Premier Li says achieving five per cent GDP target this year not easyLi Qiang, the new Premier of China, said that achieving the five percent GDP target for the slowing economy is not an easy task and requires redoubled efforts. He acknowledged that achieving the 2023 GDP growth target of around five percent for this year on the current high base of China's economic output is not an easy task and requires redoubled efforts. He also pointed to signs of improvement, saying the economy will "break through the wind and waves and sail towards a brighter future.
- Xi Jinping accuses US of trying to block China’s developmentXi, China’s most powerful leader in decades, tries to appear to be above problems and usually makes blandly positive public comments. That made his complaint Monday all the more striking. Xi said a U.S.-led campaign of “containment and suppression” of China has “brought unprecedented, severe challenges.” He called on the public to “dare to fight.”
- China Jan-Feb exports, imports slump again as global demand faltersChina's exports in the two months were 6.8% lower than a year before, beating a Reuters a poll that expected exports to decrease by 9.4%. Imports were down by 10.2%; missing the poll estimate by a large margin, which had predicted a 5.5% drop. December showed a sharp 9.9% annual fall in exports as global demand cooled, while that month's imports fell by a more modest 7.5%.
- China Premier Li Keqiang bows out as Xi loyalists take reinsAfter exiting the ruling Communist Party's all-powerful Politburo Standing Committee in October - despite being below retirement age - Li's last major task was delivering the state of the nation address to the rubber-stamp parliament on Monday. The report sought to reassure citizens of the resiliency of the Chinese economy, but contained little that was new.
- China's Xi Jinping promotes top aides, loyalists to Standing CommitteeChinese President Xi Jinping stacked the seven-member Politburo Standing Committee -- the party's apex of power -- with four allies, including two of his former secretaries, in a move that flaunts his power and rewards loyalty above all, analysts said. Current Shanghai Party boss Li Qiang -- who oversaw a harsh two-month Covid-19 lockdown in the metropolis earlier this year -- is likely to take over as premier from Li Keqiang, who will retire next year.
- Xi Jinping secures historic third term as leader of China, breaks traditional two-term limitThe Central Committee members on Sunday elected a 25-member Political Bureau which picked the Standing Committee members to govern the country. Soon after his election, Xi appeared before the media here on Sunday along with the newly elected Standing Committee. Xi, in his brief closing remarks at the 20th Congress on Saturday, said that the revision of the Constitution sets out clear requirements for upholding and strengthening the party's overall leadership.
- Xi Jinping's infamous zero-covid policy takes toll on cash-strapped local govtGovernment Medical and health spending on the national and local levels totalled 730.3 billion yuan (USD 110 billion) for the first four months of 2022, up 7.5 per cent from a year earlier and 22 per cent from 2019, reported Nikkei Asia, adding that costs for building temporary hospitals and treating COVID-19 patients rose as well.
- China premier Li Keqiang issues warning on Covid-hit economyIn some ways, the challenges now are "greater than when the pandemic hit hard in 2020", Premier Li Keqiang told a State Council meeting on Wednesday, according to a readout by the official Xinhua news agency. "We are currently at a critical juncture in determining the economic trend of the whole year," Xinhua quoted Li as saying.
- No effort would be spared to fully investigate the bus blast: Pakistan's Imran Khan to Chinese Premier Li KeqiangSo far, it is not clear if the blast was caused by a technical failure or the vehicle was hit by an explosion. While China termed the mishap as a bomb attack, Pakistan stated that the blast was caused by a gas leak. China on Thursday said it is rushing a special team of experts to Pakistan to probe the blast.
- China’s Xi Jinping awards soldier dead in Galwan clash, says party needs new ‘Heroes’Xi spoke as part of an event Tuesday at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, where he handed out red-and-gold medals adorned with the party’s hammer-and-sickle emblem. He said the recipients -- including people who had promoted Xi’s signature poverty alleviation campaign and a solider who died in last year’s border conflict with India -- had done things that could be replicated by others.
- How Huachen - the parent of BMW's China partner - drove to the brink of bankruptcyAn examination of dozens of bond filings as well as interviews with former Huachen employees and experts shows how the carmaker squandered its advantage of having a gold-plated partner and was unable to leverage its know-how to develop competitive cars of its own. Some strategic missteps on the choice of models hurt it badly and an expansion into electric vehicles, funded by debt, came too late.