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On October 26, former Chinese Premier Li Keqiang suffered a heart attack in Shanghai. While every effort was made to revive him, he succumbed at ten minutes past midnight on October 27. Li Keqiang was 68 years old at the time of his death, according to The Guardian.
The news outlet also reported that Li Keqiang was the Chinese Premier, the second-highest position in China’s political system between 2013 and March 2023, when he was succeeded by Li Qiang.
Notably, the news of Li's demise was restricted by the Chinese government and limited news accounts, and the public was not allowed to share much about it, despite the topic trending on top of Weibo, China’s X (formerly Twitter) equivalent.
Li Keqiang, the former Chinese youngest Governor, died of a heart attack
Li Kequiang, ex-Chinese Premier died from a heart attack on Friday, October 27, in Shanghai at the age of 68. In this regard, the Chinese government broadcaster CCTV reported:
“Comrade Li Keqiang, while resting in Shanghai in recent days, experienced a sudden heart attack on Oct 26 and after all-out efforts to revive him failed, died in Shanghai at ten minutes past midnight on Oct 27.”
Li, who was Chinese Premier from 2013 to early 2023 (served two consecutive terms) was an advocate for a free market, socio-economic reform, and empowerment of underprivileged Chinese citizens. He was also a stark critic of current Chinese President Xi Jinping. Despite his removal as premier in March, Li continued to be a popular face in Chinese politics and was even considered the rightful successor of the former Chinese President Hu Jintao.
More about Li Keqiang's life
According to The Guardian, Keqiang was the son of a local official who was born and raised in the province of Anhui and even worked as a manual laborer during the Chinese Cultural Revolution. Later, he earned a law degree from Peking University, followed by a doctorate in economics. During his student years, he largely focused on Western and liberal political theory.
He joined politics in the mid-1980s as a bureaucrat and rose through the ranks as part of the Communist Party Youth League. By 1998, Li became the youngest Chinese governor ever and was in charge of the central province of Henan.
Soon, he became a party secretary, followed by the party chief. In 2008, he was promoted to the role of Vice Premier under former Premier Wen Jiabao, whom he succeeded in 2013. In this position, Li’s primary responsibility was to oversee economic growth and macroeconomic management. He has also been a member of the Chinese Communist Party Central Committee Politburo Standing Committee since 2007.
But Keqiang's most famous contribution to economic history may be the term "Li Keqiang Index," which The Economist first used to describe China's economic development. Li claimed that this measure could be calculated more precisely from China's electricity use, rail cargo, and bank lending data than from GDP.
As per CNBC, Li promoted trade relations between China and other nations and wanted to lift restrictions on the flow of people and commodities across China. He also advocated for “mass entrepreneurship and innovation.” In 2015, he famously launched the “Made in China 2025” strategy that aimed to focus on domestic tech advancement to compete with the USA and other world powers.
Li Keqiang is survived by his wife Cheng Heong and their only child.
