By Phoebe Zhang
China’s Communist Party mouthpiece People’s Daily hailed the late former premier Li Keqiang for his steadfast dedication to the party and loyalty to its leadership, in an article published on Thursday to mark what would have been his 70th birthday.
The article, attributed to the Institute of Party History and Literature, said Li had “dedicated all his energy to the cause of the party and the state, and made significant contributions to it”.
Li was an “outstanding member of the party, time-tested loyal communist fighter, outstanding revolutionary and politician, and exemplary leader”, the article said.
Li died in Shanghai in October 2023, after suffering a heart attack while swimming at a state guest house. The 68-year-old had stepped down as premier just months earlier.
An official obituary published by state broadcaster CCTV at that time described Li’s death as “a huge loss” for the party and the state.
It is customary for Chinese authorities to publish commemorative articles for senior officials on every 10th anniversary of their birth. The 100th birth anniversary is usually marked by a memorial symposium attended by top leaders.
The People’s Daily article offered a retrospective of Li’s life, describing him as an avid learner who “loved the party, his country and the people”.
In listing his early achievements, it recounted how, from 1993 to 1998, a young Li had led the Central Committee of the Communist Youth League, the primary decision-making body of the party youth organisation seen to offer a pathway to senior leadership. He organised several research projects on Chinese youth during this time, the article noted.
Li became governor of central Henan province in 1998 and party secretary of northeastern Liaoning province six years later, pushing for the industrialisation and urbanisation of both regions. He had also contributed to high-quality economic development, the article added.
Since becoming premier in 2013, Li promoted the optimisation and upgrade of the economic structure, guided financial institutions to serve the real economy and focused on innovation-driven development, it said. It also hailed the late leader for having soldiered on through the Covid-19 pandemic and the challenges of the subsequent economic downturn.
Li’s sudden passing came as a shock to the public, who fondly remembered him as the “people’s premier”. He had a reputation for public empathy, and media outlets would often publish images of the premier on the frontline of natural disasters and visiting people’s homes.
The article stressed how Li was “deeply devoted to the people”.
“He frequently visited enterprises, factories, mines, farmlands and grass roots communities, listening attentively to the people’s voices and gaining first-hand understanding of their well-being, with a strong focus on alleviating their hardships,” it said, adding that Li always emphasised tackling pressing public challenges, including jobs, education, housing, healthcare and elderly care.
Since stepping down in March 2023, Li had firmly supported the party and President Xi Jinping, and “resolutely endorsed the efforts to improve party conduct, uphold integrity and combat corruption”, the article said.
He had “maintained the political character and noble moral integrity of a communist”, it concluded, emphasising that Li had been consistent in thought, politics and action with the party’s decision-making central committee and had upheld Xi’s core position and authority.