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China: On Friday, Li Keqiang, China’s former Premier passed away at the age of 68. According to Chinese state media, Keqiang died of a heart attack. Li served as premier during President Xi Jinping’s first two five-year terms.
China state TV channel reported that Li Keqiang had been vacationing in Shanghai for some time. He had a sudden heart attack on October 26. All efforts were made to save him but he died on 27th October. A career bureaucrat who spoke fluent English, Li had voiced support for economic reforms during his time in office.
But his attempts at financial reforms were curtailed by Xi’s overwhelming authority. He was the second most powerful figure in the ruling Communist Party of China (CCP) until his retirement in 2022.
He was praised for helping to steer the country through the global financial crisis relatively unscathed. Li Keqiang has served as the Prime Minister of China from 2013 to 2023. He was the second most powerful member of the ruling Communist Party from 2012 to 2022.
Li was born in 1955 in Hefei, Anhui Province. He married Cheng Hong Se Hui, a professor of English language and literature. The appointment of Xi ally Li Qiang — former Shanghai party boss — as his successor this year was seen as a sign that his reformist agenda had fallen by the wayside as Beijing tightens its grip over its slowing economy.
