Li Keqiang
China's former Premier Li Keqiang died of a heart attack in the early hours of Friday, according to state media. He was 68.
UPDATE: Mr. Li, who had a doctorate in economics, exemplified a generation of highly educated Chinese leaders who rose quickly in the 1980s and 1990s as Mao Zedong’s generation faded from politics.
Born in Anhui Province in eastern China, Mr. Li studied law and economics at Peking University, where he mixed with liberal students and rose through the Communist Party’s Youth League.
Li Keqiang dies at 68
CCTV reports he suffered a heart attack just months after retirement
HONG KONG -- China's former Premier Li Keqiang died of a heart attack in the early hours of Friday, according to state media. He was 68.
Li suffered heart failure in Shanghai on Thursday evening and passed away just after midnight, CCTV reported.
He had served as premier for a decade, from 2013 until his retirement this year. As a trained economist and the No. 2 official in the Chinese Communist Party, Li helped steer the world's second-largest economy over that span, alongside President Xi Jinping.
Li was born in July 1955 in the eastern province of Anhui. He was the son of a local official.
A year ago, in October 2022, he stepped down from the all-powerful Politburo Standing Committee. He took his final bow as premier in March.
This is a developing story and will be updated.
Li Keqiang Dies of Heart Attack at 68
Mr. Li had stepped down as premier in March after a decade in the country’s No. 2 position.
China’s former premier Li Keqiang died early on Friday of a heart attack, China announced, an abrupt end to the life of a leader who had served alongside Xi Jinping for a decade and set a milder tone while never appearing to directly challenge Mr. Xi’s hard-line policies.
Mr. Li, 68, was visiting Shanghai when he suddenly suffered the heart attack, a report on Chinese state television said. “All efforts to resuscitate him failed,” the report said.
Mr. Li was once considered a potential top leader of the ruling Chinese Communist Party. But in the end, he was overtaken by Mr. Xi, and became China’s premier — the leader of the cabinet — in 2013. Over the following 10 years, he steered Chinese government ministries, but appeared to wield less power than former premiers, with Mr. Xi dominating policy instead.
Mr. Li, who had a doctorate in economics, exemplified a generation of highly educated Chinese leaders who rose quickly in the 1980s and 1990s as Mao Zedong’s generation faded from politics.
But he and many of his contemporaries lost much of their influence in the past decade, as Mr. Xi consolidated power and promoted an inner circle of Communist Party loyalists whom he has known for decades.
Before Mr. Xi became the top leader, “officials like Li Keqiang did very well and continued the institutionalization of the party,” said Victor Shih, a specialist in Chinese factional politics at the University of California at San Diego. But Mr. Li and many other professionals “were not as practiced in the ruthless politics that always has characterized elite politics,” he said.
Born in Anhui Province in eastern China, Mr. Li studied law and economics at Peking University, where he mixed with liberal students who later threw themselves into the pro-democracy movement of 1989. But Mr. Li chose another path, rising through the Communist Party’s Youth League.
He later served as a provincial leader and was seen as a potential successor to Hu Jintao, the Chinese leader who also rose through the Youth League. But in the end, Mr. Xi emerged as the top leader in 2012, and Mr. Li worked in his shadow.
As premier, he sought to reduce government red tape and interference in the private economy. But Mr. Xi dominated the major decisions.
Mr. Xi had muscled Mr. Li aside on a broad range of policy issues over the past decade. Mr. Xi created a series of Communist Party commissions to make policy on issues like national security, the economy and finance, supplanting much of the policymaking role once played by government ministries, which reported to Mr. Li as the premier.
Mr. Li “must have lived a life of frustration and unhappiness for the past 10 years,” said Barry Naughton, another specialist in Chinese politics at the University of California at San Diego. “He had been so systematically deprived of power and influence by Xi Jinping that I don’t think his passing will have much impact on the political situation in China.”
Chinese internet users expressed shock at the news of Mr. Li’s death on Weibo, China’s Twitter-like social media platform.
“He will always live in our heart,” one commenter wrote. “This is too shocking,” wrote Hu Xijin, the former chief editor of Global Times, a Communist Party newspaper. “Deep condolences.”
Shi Feike, a lawyer and former investigative journalist, said that some people, like him, would remember Mr. Li for his liberal leanings and his advocacy of market reforms.
“He may not have been a strong and forceful politician, nor a proficient public speaker,” Mr. Shi wrote in a post on the social media platform WeChat. “But in my impression, almost all his public expressions were closely related to keywords such as democracy, rule of law, market economy and government streamlining.”
“May this elderly man who was aligned with the direction of his time rest in peace!” he wrote.
This is a developing story. Check back for updates.
Claire Fu, Amy Chang Chien, and Li Yuan contributed reporting.
🇨🇳China voted against the UN Security Council Draft Resolution on the 🇵🇸Palestinian-🇮🇱Israeli conflict!
Why?
Ambassador @ChinaAmbUN's answer is BASED!👇
◾️China is by no means indifferent to the sufferings of the people in Gaza. What China opposes is that the draft resolution selectively avoids referring to the root causes of the current humanitarian crisis in Gaza, and fails to urge Israel to lift its full siege on Gaza and to rescind the evacuation order for northern Gaza. Such an evasive and ineffectual approach will only accelerate Gaza’s falling into an even greater humanitarian catastrophe.
◾️China is by no means denying Israel's security concerns. On the contrary, China has always strongly advocated that equal attention should be paid to the security concerns and legitimate rights of both Israel and Palestine. What China opposes is that the draft resolution attempts to establish a new narrative on the Palestinian question, ignoring the fact that the Palestinian territory has been occupied for a long time and evading the fundamental issue of independent statehood for the Palestinian people. It is worth being vigilant that the draft departs from the spirit of previous UN resolutions and embeds the dangerous logic of the clash of civilizations and the justification of war and use of force.
◾️China is by no means indifferent to acts that harm civilians. What China opposes is that the draft resolution does not call on the parties concerned to stop the indiscriminate and asymmetrical use of force, nor does it call for a thorough investigation into the heinous attacks such as the one on the Al-Ahli Hospital. Such selective application of international law and double standards will only push more innocent civilians to the brink of death.
In terms of the content, the draft is seriously out of balance and confuses right and wrong.
◾️China is by no means opposing the Council taking action. What China opposes is that the draft resolution is evasive on the most urgent issue of ending the hostility. It has never been able to call for an immediate ceasefire in clear and unambiguous terms. If a Council resolution is ambiguous on the question of war and peace and of life and death, it is not only irresponsible but also extremely dangerous.
In terms of the approach, the draft was introduced in haste and lacked the consensus it deserved.
In terms of the effect, the draft does not reflect the world’s strongest calls for a ceasefire and an end to the fighting, and it does not help resolve the issue.
That's why, China vetoed it!
Li Keqiang, China’s top economic official for a decade, dies of heart attack
China News Live Updates: Former Chinese Premier Li Keqiang passed away at the age of 68 due to a sudden heart attack, as reported by state media on Friday.
According to CCTV, Li Keqiang suffered a sudden heart attack on October 26 while he was resting in Shanghai, and despite extensive efforts to revive him, he passed away in Shanghai at ten minutes past midnight on October 27. An obituary will be forthcoming, as per CCTV's announcement.
Li Keqiang, who had served as the head of China's cabinet and held the position of Chinese premier for a decade under President Xi Jinping from 2013 until his retirement in March, was a prominent economist educated at Peking University. Though once considered a potential leader within the Communist Party, he had become increasingly marginalized in recent years under Xi's leadership. Notably, in 2020, he drew attention by stating that more than 600 million people in China earned less than $140 per month, initiating a broader conversation on poverty and income inequality.
China's industrial profits shrink 9% in Jan-Sep
Official data released on Friday revealed that profits of China's industrial firms experienced a 9% contraction during the first nine months compared to the same period in the previous year. This decline comes after a previous 11.7% decrease in profits over the first eight months, as reported by the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS). These figures underscore the economic challenges China is grappling with, despite some indications of stabilization in the economy.
More than 5,000 Afghan migrants have returned from Pakistan, Iran: Taliban
The Ministry of Refugees and Repatriation in Afghanistan, currently led by the Taliban, has disclosed that over 5,000 Afghan migrants have reentered their home country from Pakistan and Iran, as reported by Khaama Press, an Afghanistan-based news outlet.
The ministry, under Taliban administration, made this announcement on Thursday, confirming that approximately 5,179 immigrants returned to Afghanistan from Pakistan and Iran.
An official designated by the Taliban at the Islam Qala border in Herat reported that among these returning migrants, 3,591 individuals, including families, have made their way back to Afghanistan, some voluntarily and others under different circumstances.
A crisis that marred Li Keqiang's reputation
While serving as the premier, Li portrayed himself as a more contemporary figure in contrast to his more rigid counterparts. He was a seasoned bureaucrat who was proficient in English, and he openly advocated for economic reforms during his tenure.In his earlier years, he exhibited more liberal inclinations but adhered to the party's principles for many decades. His reputation was marred by his management of an HIV/AIDS crisis originating from a contaminated blood donation program during his time as the party leader in Henan province.
Li Keqiang on poverty and inequality
Li served as the premier and headed China's cabinet for a decade before his retirement in March.Born in Anhui province, a humble farming region in eastern China, Li's early life was marked by his father's role as an official and his own experiences working in the fields during the tumultuous period of the Cultural Revolution.In a notable statement made in 2020, he highlighted that approximately 600 million individuals in China earned less than the equivalent of $140 per month. This statement ignited a broader conversation on issues of poverty and income inequality.
Li Keqiang: Once considered a possible future leader of Chinese Communist Party
Li, aged 68, was in Shanghai on a visit when he experienced an abrupt heart failure around midnight on Thursday, as reported by Chinese state television. The report stated that despite all attempts to revive him, they were unsuccessful.Initially, Li had been considered a possible future leader within the Chinese Communist Party's hierarchy. However, in the end, Xi Jinping surpassed him, and Li assumed the role of China's premier, equivalent to the position of prime minister, in 2013.
Former Chinese premier Li Keqiang dies of heart attack: state media
Former Chinese Premier Li Keqiang passed away at the age of 68 due to a sudden heart attack, as reported by state media on Friday.According to CCTV, Li Keqiang suffered a sudden heart attack on October 26 while he was resting in Shanghai, and despite extensive efforts to revive him, he passed away in Shanghai at ten minutes past midnight on October 27. An obituary will be forthcoming, as per CCTV's announcement.
Security forces kill 5 LeT terrorists along LoC
security forces successfully thwarted an infiltration attempt by five Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) terrorists along the Line of Control (LoC) in Kupwara district. They also responded effectively to unprovoked firing by Pakistan Rangers along the International Border (IB) in Jammu, according to official sources. During the exchange of fire, a Border Security Force (BSF) soldier and four civilians sustained injuries as Pakistani troops targeted five Indian posts in the Arnia and R S Pura sectors during the night, as confirmed by a senior official.This ceasefire violation in the Arnia sector occurred shortly after a coordinated operation by the police and the Army along the Line of Control in the Machhil sector of Kupwara.
Senator urges US govt to continue pushing India on human rights issues
A resolution has been introduced by a U.S. Senator in the Senate, calling on the Biden administration to initiate discussions with India to address concerns about policies that are believed to discriminate based on religion and to advocate for an end to violence against peaceful protesters in the nation.Senator Tammy Baldwin stated in a press release that "Religious freedom is a fundamental human right, and when any country violates it, the United States must take a stand and express its concerns." This resolution was introduced earlier this week.
UK MP meets members of Jammu and Kashmir diaspora to mark its accession to India
British Conservative Member of Parliament, Theresa Anne Villiers, convened a gathering with members of the Jammu and Kashmir diaspora at the British House of Commons in commemoration of the anniversary of Jammu and Kashmir's integration with India.During the meeting, Villiers expressed her recent concerns about the human rights violations committed against Hindus and other minority groups in Pakistan.Among the attendees from the Jammu and Kashmir diaspora were Ajatshatru Singh, Ritu Singh, and Sushil Pandit. Villiers highlighted that it has been 76 years since Jammu and Kashmir became a part of India.