LI Keqiang, the former Premier of the State Council of the People’s Republic of China passed away on October 27, 2023,as the result of a heart attack. He was 68 years old. He suffered a cardiac arrest the previous day and despite all the efforts made, he could not survive. The former premier has left a glowing legacy behind as he served as the member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the 17th, 18th, and 19th central committees. He also served as the Vice-Premier from March 2008 to March 2013. Previously, in 1998 at the age of just 43 years, he made history in China by becoming the youngest Governor of Henan province. The official obituary appreciated his struggle and noted that Li Keqiang was “an excellent CPC member, a time-tested and loyal communist soldier and an outstanding proletarian revolutionist, statesman and leader of the Party and the state.”
Li Keqiang was born in July 1955 in Hefei in the Anhui province and hailed from a modest family, as his father was a party worker. After completing high school in 1974, he started working in the village of Dongling in Fenyang county, and was nominated for the party membership. He became a member of the Communist Party of China (CPC) in 1976 and graduated from the Department of Law at the Peking University in 1982. Later in 1994, he earned his Ph.D. in Economics from the Peking University under the supervision of Prof. Dr. Li Yining.
Being an economist, Li Keqiang helped in the rehabilitation of the old industrial bases in the Liaoning province, development of the coastal areas, and revitalization of the North-East China. He was appointed as the Secretary of the CPC Liaoning Provincial Committee and Chairman of the Standing Committee of Liaoning Provincial People’s Congress in 2004. Li Keqiang paid special attention to 4 key areas: (i) Small and micro enterprises, (ii). E-Commerce as a catalyst for economic growth, (iii). Focus on the welfare of migrant workers, (iv). Encouraged entrepreneurship of university students
Li Keqiang founded his economic policies on three pillars, ie, “no stimulus, deleveraging and structural reform.” His key indicators of economic growth were “electricity consumption, rail cargo volume and bank lending.” Later, in 2010, while he was serving in the province of Liaoning, The Economist acknowledged his development model and referred to it as “Li Keqiang Index.” His strong academic credentials helped him in earning the term “Likonomics” by the Barclays Bank.
In October 2007, Li Keqiang was elected as a member of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee and its Standing Committee at the First Plenary Session of the 17th CPC Central Committee. In March 2008, Li Keqiang started serving as the Vice-Premier and held that position till March 2013. From March 15, 2013, till March 11, 2023, he served as the Premier of the People’s Republic of China, and was succeeded by Premier Li Qiang. Even after retiring from the premiership, his resolve remained unchanged and he upheld “the leadership of the CPC Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping at its core.”
Pakistan’s President Dr Arif-ur-Rehman Alvi and Caretaker Prime Minister Anwaar ul Haq Kakar expressed sorrow over the demise of former Premier Li Keqiang in separate messages. President Alvi said, “Pakistan today lost a great friend who was a strong advocate and supporter of Pak-China economic and strategic relations. Li Keqiang was a visionary leader and I express my condolences on behalf of the people of Pakistan to his family, the Chinese people and its leadership in this hour of grief. During my solidarity visit to China in March 2020, I had the honour to meet him at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing.” PM Kakar extended his sincerest condolences to the grieving family and the Chinese nation on the social media platform X. He recalled former Premier Li Keqiang’s visit to Pakistan in 2013 and paid tribute to his services rendered. He also acknowledged his great contribution towards strengthening Pakistan-China relations.
The homage paid by the people of China on his death is a testament that Le Keqiang will always be remembered as a great leader who worked tirelessly for the betterment of the people, party, and the state. His unbeaten services during the outbreak of Covid-19 were unmatched and worked diligently as the Head of the Central Leading Group. He himself visited Wuhan and monitored the relief work in combating the Covid-19.Undoubtedly, he played a vital role in strengthening Pakistan-China relations and PM Kakar put it quite rightly, “he was a great friend of Pakistan.” The people of Pakistan are grieving his demise and pay tribute to his services which will be remembered forever.
—The writer is PhD scholar and Research Fellow at the Institute of Strategic Studies Islamabad.
Email: mmab11@gmail.com
views expressed are writer’s own.
