BEIJING: Li Keqiang, former premier of the State Council of China and member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the 17th, 18th and 19th Communist Party of China (CPC) central committees, 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.
