Former Premier Li Keqiang, who served China for a decade, passed away at 68 due to a heart attack. Despite once being a top Communist Party leadership contender, his influence waned as President Xi Jinping consolidated power and pursued a more state-controlled economic direction. Li, an elite economist educated at Peking University, initially supported a more liberal market economy but had to adapt to Xi’s preferences.
“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,” reported state broadcaster CCTV. An obituary is expected.
Li’s tenure as premier and leader of China’s cabinet ended in March. At his last public appearance in March, he affirmed, “No matter how the international winds and clouds change, China will unswervingly expand its opening up. The Yangtze River and the Yellow River will not flow backward.”
Born in Anhui province, a poverty-stricken farming area, Li’s early life involved toiling in the fields during the Cultural Revolution. In 2020, he brought attention to income inequality, stating that 600 million people in China earned less than $140 per month, sparking a wider debate on poverty and income disparity.
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