Former Chinese Premier Li Keqiang passed away at age 68 – State media

Report says Li Keqiang, a former leader of China, passed away due to a sudden heart attack in Shanghai on Friday. He was known for his ideas on making changes in the country.

He was 68 years of age.

China’s number one, Li, was given the title but did not have much real power. Two leaders were in power until last year. One of them was in charge of the country’s economy for ten years, from 2013 to March of this year. This leader served under the supervision of Xi Jinping, a strong ruler.

During his time as the boss, Li guided the world’s second-biggest economy through a tough period of increasing problems with technology and trade with the United States, growing government debt and unemployment, and the Covid-19 pandemic.

In his last year as the leader, the economist talked a lot about the problems China’s economy faced because of the Covid-19 lockdowns. He supported actions to create more jobs and keep the economy stable.

Li is known for using his English skills sometimes when he appears outside of mainland China. He also represents a different way of thinking about China’s relationships with other countries. This is important because China’s relationships with Western countries are becoming more difficult.

Li said that China and the United States have similar things they care about, in response to a question from CNN during his yearly press conference in March 2021. The two countries should focus more on what they have in common and try to find more ways to work together.

As people heard about Li’s death on Friday morning, they shared a quote from his speech in 2022 where he promised that China will stay open to the world, no matter what happens internationally.

Li, a person with advanced knowledge and skills in technology and industry, who has studied law and economics, was seen as someone who supported private businesses. He was also seen to have a different policy view from Xi, who has increased party control over the economy.

Li was in charge of many of China’s actions to support economic growth for ten years. He believed in connecting China’s economy with the rest of the world, but Xi started to ignore him.

In recent years, people from other countries started to think that Beijing might not continue with its policy of “reform and opening. ” However, Li kept telling foreign business leaders and local officials that economic development is still the most important thing for the party.

During the lockdowns caused by Covid, he organized meetings where he told government departments to help foreign companies overcome obstacles to start producing again.

According to Willy Lam, a senior fellow at the Jamestown Foundation think tank in the US, Li is the only member of the Politburo Standing Committee who openly supported Deng Xiaoping’s open-door policy. This policy goes against Xi Jinping’s preference for state-controlled measures.

Li is also known for talking about problems in society. People on social media noticed that he said that 600 million people in China, which is about 40% of the population, only make 1,000 yuan ($137) per month.

These comments were made during the leader’s yearly meeting with journalists in 2020. They reminded everyone that China is still facing challenges in helping its citizens escape poverty, despite the leader praising China’s efforts in this area as something the whole country can be proud of.

During the pandemic, when Beijing’s rules made a big part of the country stop, Li asked the local leaders to follow the rules seriously and help the economy, small businesses, and jobs.

He was the most important official to visit Wuhan in January 2020, during a time when the city was locked down and struggling with a large number of infections in the first known Covid-19 outbreak.

Some things Li did to improve the economy seemed to show that he didn’t have a good relationship with Xi. Many people believed that Li didn’t have as much power as past premiers.

When the leader suggested bringing back street stalls to help the economy and solve the problem of a lot of people not having jobs, some media organizations didn’t like the idea.

The criticism from party supporters created rumors of disagreement between the two top party leaders on how to boost the economy while dealing with strict pandemic measures.

Li is often seen as someone who learned from Xi’s predecessor, Hu Jintao. Hu guided China through a period of quick growth from 2002 to 2012. The men had similar ideas about money and how it should be handled. They gained power by being part of the Communist Party’s Youth League, which used to be a place where future leaders were trained.

The group was famous for creating leaders who wanted to change things, and these leaders came from ordinary families. However, it is thought that Xi has ended their power and influence since he became the leader.

Last year, people paid a lot of attention to the connection between Li and Hu. During the end ceremony of the October 2022 Communist Party Congress, Li, who used to be a powerful leader, was unexpectedly taken away. This happened while Xi was strengthening his control over the party.

During an event that is usually very planned and organized, Hu was taken out of the room by someone. As he left, he stopped to gently touch Li, who had a serious expression, on the shoulder. Li nodded and then looked towards the departing former leader. According to official media, it was later suggested that Hu had to leave because of health problems.

During Hu’s leadership, Li became a member of the Politburo Standing Committee in 2007.

He used to be very important in a political party in a province that has a lot of factories. Then he became the leader of another province that is known for farming.

Li was born in Anhui. When he was a teenager, he worked hard on a farm in the eastern province during a time called the Cultural Revolution. This was a big change in society and politics in China that lasted for ten years, and was led by Mao Zedong.

Li was one of the first.