Li Keqiang

For his successor and the 8th premier of China, see Li Qiang.
In this Chinese name, the family name is Li (李).

Li Keqiang
李克强
Li in 2019
Premier of China
In office
15 March 2013 – 11 March 2023
PresidentXi Jinping
Vice Premier
Cabinet I
(2013–2018)
Cabinet II
(2018–2023)
Preceded byWen Jiabao
Succeeded byLi Qiang
First-ranked Vice Premier of China
In office
17 March 2008 – 16 March 2013
PremierWen Jiabao
Preceded byWu Yi (acting)
Succeeded byZhang Gaoli
Communist Party Secretary of Liaoning
In office
13 December 2004 – 29 October 2007
GovernorZhang Wenyue
Preceded byWen Shizhen
Succeeded byZhang Wenyue
Communist Party Secretary of Henan
In office
30 December 2002 – 13 December 2004
GovernorLi Chengyu
Preceded byChen Kuiyuan
Succeeded byXu Guangchun
First Secretary of the Communist Youth League of China
In office
10 May 1993 – 23 June 1998
Preceded bySong Defu
Succeeded byZhou Qiang
Personal details
Born(1955-07-03)3 July 1955[1]
Hefei, Anhui, China
Died27 October 2023(2023-10-27) (aged 68)
Pudong, Shanghai, China
Political partyCCP (from 1974)
Spouse
​
(m. 1983)​
[2]
Children1
Alma materPeking University (LLB, MEc, PhD)
CabinetLi Keqiang Government
Signature
Scientific career
FieldsEconomics
ThesisOn the ternary structure of Chinese economy (1991)
Doctoral advisorLi Yining
Li Keqiang's voice
Li talks about Cross-Strait relations at a press conference
Recorded 11 March 2022
Central institution membership
  • 2007–2022: 17th, 18th, 19th Politburo Standing Committee
  • 2007–2022: 17th, 18th, 19th Politburo
  • 1997–2022: Full member, 15th, 16th, 17th, 18th, 19th Central Committee
  • 1993–1998: Delegate, 8th National People's Congress
Leading group posts
Other offices held
Chinese name
Simplified Chinese李克强
Traditional Chinese李克強
Transcriptions
Standard Mandarin
Hanyu PinyinLǐ Kèqiáng
Gwoyeu RomatzyhLii Kehchyang
Wade–GilesLi K'o-ch'iang
IPA[lì kʰɤ̂.tɕʰjǎŋ]
Yue: Cantonese
Yale RomanizationLéih Hāk-kèuhng
IPA[lej˩˧ hɐk̚˥.kʰœŋ˩]

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 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.

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.

  1. ^ "李克强同志生平". Xinhua News Agency. Archived from the original on 14 December 2023. Retrieved 2 November 2023.
  2. ^ "程虹陪同李克强出访非洲(图)" (in Chinese). 凤凰网. 4 May 2014. Archived from the original on 4 May 2014. Retrieved 27 March 2023.


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