Li Keqiang: decades of diligence on China’s economic front lines
- The late premier began his career in the Communist Party with a stint working in the countryside
- He was once tipped to succeed president Hu Jintao but spent a decade in the shadow of President Xi Jinping
Back then, Li was halfway through his term in Liaoning and journalists were allowed to roam the Great Hall of the People during the sessions and doorstop senior officials. Some provincial officials were even willing to speak to journalists and Li was one of them.
He was friendly and spent nearly half an hour explaining to me Liaoning’s potential and the progress of a massive rehabilitation of shantytown areas.
The overhaul was one of the most important projects during his tenure as the provincial party boss from 2004 to 2007. He cited figure after figure to describe the rust belt province’s economic growth but when I asked him the politically sensitive question about whether he would be elevated to the leadership in Beijing, he politely declined to answer.
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‘People’s Premier’: former Chinese premier Li Keqiang dies of a heart attack at age 68
At the National People’s Congress the following year, he appeared to be more prepared and dismissed talk of a promotion to the central government as “rumours”.
