China's former premier Li Keqiang has died at age 68 after a sudden heart attack on Friday while he was in Shanghai.
Li was once seen as a reform-minded contender for the Asian nation's top leadership role and was nominally China's second-in-command until late last year. He served as the country's premier, which is traditionally in charge of the economy, for a decade from 2013 to March this year.
Li Keqiang's Death
During the former premier's time in the position, he navigated the world's second-largest economy through a challenging period of rising technology and trade tensions with the United States where it mounted government debt and battled with unemployment and the COVID-19 pandemic.
Within Li's final year in power, the Peking University-educated economist had been a powerful voice who warned of challenges to China's economy amid widespread COVID-19 lockdowns. He also supported efforts to boost employment and maintain economic stability in the region.
Following the news of the former Chinese premier's death, social media users circulated a line from Li's annual address to China's rubber-stamp parliament in 2022. It was where he pledged that "No matter how the international environment may change, China will keep the course of wider openness," as per CNN.
Li was also known to use his English language skills on occasion during appearances outside the mainland. He was seen as representing a different approach to China's relations with the world during a time when the nation had grown increasingly isolated.
In a statement during his annual press conference in March 2021, Li said that China and the United States have common interests. He added that the two nations need to put more energy into their common ground and expand converging interests.
The late Li was a highly educated technocrat with degrees in both law and economics who was considered friendly to the private sector. He was also seen to have an increasingly diverging economic policy stance from Chinese President Xi Jinping who tightened party control over the economy.
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History of Economic Prowess
Many online users expressed their shock and condolences at the news of Li's sudden and unexpected death. The former Chinese premier was also someone who had close ties with former Chinese President Hu Jintao, which sometimes put him at odds with Xi, according to CNBC.
When Li ended his term as premier, Xi was able to stay for an unprecedented third term and installed loyalist Li Qiang to fill in the recently vacated position. The premier is the head of the State Council, which is China's top executive body.
Li said in 2020 that more than 600 million people in China still had a monthly income of barely $137, which he argued was simply not enough to even rent a room in a medium-sized Chinese city.
The former premier was also known for being pragmatic in economic policies, with ones that focused on reducing the wealth gap while also providing affordable housing. Li is set to be remembered for his strong economic track record. This is despite the end of the late premier's term being plagued by China's zero-COVID crisis, said BBC.
