Li Qiang succeeded Li Keqiang as prime minister

He was the only candidate. Li Qiang, considered one of President Xi Jinping’s closest and trusted men, was appointed China’s new prime minister on Saturday, March 11, in Beijing. In the vote of the deputies gathered in the People’s Palace, this former official of the Communist Party of Shanghai received 2,936 votes, three were against, and eight abstained. He is 63 years old and has succeeded Li Keqiang in office since 2013.

Li Qiang, who was elevated to the Communist Party’s second rank in October, has no experience at the central government level, unlike almost all previous prime ministers. The Chinese premier presides over the State Council. Its function is traditionally associated with the day-to-day administration of the country and the conduct of macroeconomic policy.

However, Li Qiang had a wealthy career in local government, taking on important leadership roles in the wealthy eastern coastal provinces of Zhejiang and Jiangsu. Li Qiang was Xi Jinping’s chief of staff when he was party leader in Zhejiang between 2004 and 2007.

Shanghai Lockdown Man

His promotions, which have been rapid since then, reflect the high level of confidence placed in him by the first Chinese player. At noon on Saturday at the People’s Palace in Beijing, Xi Jinping and Li Qiang were accomplices at the time of the vote, and exchanged pleasantries with a smile.

However, Li Qiang’s prospect of getting such a high job appears to be in jeopardy after his chaotic handling of a two-month lockdown in Shanghai last year, during which the city’s 25 million people struggled with food supplies, food and basic medical care. “If there is evidence (to show) that loyalty trumps merit in Xi Jinping’s China, Li Qiang’s promotion is the one”says Richard MacGregor, a researcher at the Lowy Institute in Sydney, Australia.

Li Qiang takes office at a time when the world’s second-largest economy is facing a sharp slowdown, weakened by nearly three years of an inflexible so-called “zero Covid” policy. For 2023, the government has set itself a GDP growth target of “around 5%,” one of the lowest levels in decades. Outgoing Premier Li Keqiang, an economist by training, saw his plans for economic reform hindered by Xi Jinping’s growing power.