Li Keqiang (1955

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Biography

Li Keqiang was a Chinese politician and economist who served as Premier of China from 2013 to 2023 and was the second-ranking member of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP)'s Politburo Standing Committee from 2012 to 2022.

In Their Own Words (1)

You (medical staffs who attend to COVID-19 patients treatment) are trying every means to save lives. When you are putting your efforts to save lives, you have to protect yourselves too.

Li Keqiang (2020) cited in "China coronavirus: Premier Li Keqiang arrives in Wuhan to lead fight against deadly outbreak" on South China Morning Post, 27 January 2020. , 2020

Timeline

The story of Li Keqiang, told in moments.

1978 Event

Entered Peking University after the college entrance exams were restored. Studied law. Became a student leader. Later earned a PhD in economics. One of the first Chinese leaders with a genuine academic background.

Peking University after exams were restored. Was that redemption? Student leader, then PhD in economics. Was ambition always the engine?

1998 Event

Rose through the Communist Youth League ranks. Became governor of Henan at 43, then party secretary. Faced criticism over a blood-selling HIV crisis in the province that infected thousands of poor farmers.

The HIV blood-selling crisis in Henan. Did that haunt your career? Governor at forty-three. Were you rising fast or being promoted out?

2013 Event

Became Premier of China. Second in the party hierarchy after Xi Jinping. Pushed market-oriented economic reforms and the "Li Keqiang Index," an alternative GDP measure using electricity consumption, rail freight, and bank lending.

Second to Xi Jinping. Was there ever a real contest? The Li Keqiang Index using electricity and rail freight. Was official GDP that unreliable?

2023 Death

Died of a sudden heart attack in Shanghai at 68. He'd retired as premier seven months earlier. His death prompted an outpouring of grief online. Many mourners were quietly comparing his reformist instincts to the current direction.

A sudden heart attack seven months after retiring. Was rest more dangerous than work? Grief online quietly comparing you to the current direction. Would that surprise you?

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