Li Keqiang passes away

A file photo of Li Keqiang. Li Keqiang, member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the 17th, 18th and 19th Communist Party of China central committees and former premier, passed away on Friday in Shanghai, at the age of 68. (Photo/Xinhua)

Li Keqiang, member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the 17th, 18th and 19th Communist Party of China (CPC) central committees and former premier of the State Council, passed away on Friday in Shanghai. He was 68.

Li died of a sudden heart attack at 00:10 on Friday after all-out rescue efforts failed, according to an official obituary notice issued on Friday.

Li was extolled as 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.

The obituary notice was jointly issued by the CPC Central Committee, the National People's Congress (NPC) Standing Committee, the State Council and the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference.

Born in July 1955, Li was from Dingyuan, East China's Anhui province. In March 1974, he went to Dongling Brigade, Damiao Commune, Fengyang County of Anhui as an educated youth.

He became a CPC member in May 1976.

Between November 1976 and March 1978, Li served as the Party chief of Damiao Brigade.

Li went to study at the Department of Law at Peking University between March 1978 and February 1982. He once served as the head of the Students' Union of the university.

Since February 1982, Li had successively served as secretary of the Peking University Committee of the Communist Youth League of China (CYLC), a member of the Standing Committee of the CYLC Central Committee, director of the School Department of the CYLC Central Committee and secretary-general of the All-China Students' Federation, an alternate member of the Secretariat of the CYLC Central Committee, a member of the Secretariat of the CYLC Central Committee and vice chairman of the All-China Youth Federation, and the head of the National Working Committee of the Chinese Young Pioneers.

In March 1993, he began to serve as the first member of the Secretariat of the CYLC Central Committee, president of the China Youth University of Political Studies, and a member of the Standing Committee of the 8th NPC.

Starting from June 1998, Li served successively as deputy secretary of the CPC Henan Provincial Committee, acting governor of Henan, and later governor of Henan; secretary of CPC Henan Provincial Committee and governor of Henan; and secretary of CPC Henan Provincial Committee and chairman of the standing committee of Henan Provincial People's Congress.

He put forward the goal of realizing the rise of central China and pushed for huge progress in various causes in Henan's economic and social sectors.

Starting from December 2004, Li served as the secretary of the CPC Liaoning Provincial Committee, and later the secretary of the CPC Liaoning Provincial Committee and concurrently chairman of the standing committee of Liaoning Provincial People's Congress.

He firmly seized the combined opportunities of both the revitalization of northeast China and the opening up of coastal areas, and scored marked achievements in the revitalization of the old industrial bases in Liaoning.

In October 2007, Li was elected 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 was appointed vice premier of the State Council and served as deputy secretary of its Leading Party Members Group. He was in charge of the State Council's day-to-day work.

He assisted in the work regarding responding to the international financial crisis, accelerating economic restructuring, deepening the implementation of the coordinated regional development strategy, promoting energy conservation, emission reduction and environmental protection, and furthering the reform of the medical and healthcare systems.

In November 2012, Li was re-elected a member of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee and its standing committee at the first plenary session of the 18th CPC Central Committee.

He was appointed premier of the State Council at the first session of the 12th NPC in March 2013 and served as the secretary of the Leading Party Members Group of the State Council.

Faced with complicated domestic and international situations, under the strong leadership of the CPC Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping at its core, Li followed the general principle of pursuing progress while ensuring stability, maintained strategic resolve, and improved approaches to macro regulation with greater attention to anticipatory adjustments, fine-tuning and targeted regulation.

In October 2017, Li was re-elected a member of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee and its standing committee at the first plenary session of the 19th CPC Central Committee.

He was re-appointed premier of the State Council at the first session of the 13th NPC in March 2018 and again served as the secretary of the Leading Party Members Group of the State Council.

Under the strong leadership of the CPC Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping at its core, confronting multiple challenges including fast-changing international situations, the COVID-19 epidemic and downward pressure in the domestic economy, Li followed the general principle of pursuing progress while ensuring stability, fully and faithfully applied the new development philosophy on all fronts, worked to create a new pattern of development, promoted high-quality development, and balanced development and security imperatives.

Li took coordinated moves to keep economic growth stable, carry out reforms, promote structural adjustment, improve people's livelihood, prevent risks, and maintain stability.

He made active efforts to expand effective domestic demand, keep major economic indicators within the appropriate range, and rely on innovation to optimize and upgrade industrial structures.

While serving as the premier, Li also served as head of the State Council's leading group for revitalizing old industrial bases in the northeast and other regions, head of the State Council's leading group for the development of the western region, head of the country's leading group for education, science and technology and head of the country's leading group for addressing climate change and energy conservation and emission reduction.

Following the COVID-19 outbreak, Li assumed the post of head of the central leading group for COVID-19 response, and helped secure tremendously encouraging achievements in both epidemic response and economic and social development.

Always bearing China's realities in mind, Li had been upholding and improving the country's basic socialist economic systems, and promoting economic reforms.

Li consistently advanced the reforms to develop the socialist market economy and struck a proper balance between the government and the market. This enabled the market to play a decisive role in resource allocation and the government to better play its role, thus promoting both an efficient market and a well-functioning government.

He advanced reforms in key fields such as fiscal and tax systems, financial sectors and investment, as well as science and technology, while pursuing a broader agenda of opening up across more areas and in greater depth.

To improve the people's well-being, Li devoted efforts to address prominent issues in employment, education, housing, healthcare, and elderly care.

In March 2023, Li no longer served as the premier. After retiring from the leadership post, Li continued to firmly uphold the leadership of the CPC Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping at its core, care for advancing the cause of the Party and the country, and firmly uphold the Party's efforts to improve conduct, build integrity, and combat corruption.

Li's life was a revolutionary, hard-working and glorious one, and one that was dedicated to wholeheartedly serving the people and the communist cause, says the obituary notice, adding that his death is a great loss to the Party and the state.

The obituary notice calls for turning grief into strength to rally more closely around the CPC Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping at its core, and to strive in unity for fully building a strong country and achieving national rejuvenation through a Chinese path to modernization.

"Eternal glory to Comrade Li Keqiang!" the obituary notice concludes.

(Updated)