The legacy of former Prime Minister Li Keqiang

The SCMP has articles showing that, during his decade as Prime Minister of China, Li Keqiang steered the world's second-largest economy through turbulent times, from the difficult period of rising government debt to trade tensions with arch-rival the United States and the Covid-19 pandemic.

Former Chinese Premier Li Keqiang died of a heart attack on the morning of October 27. (Source: Reuters)

Former Chinese Premier Li Keqiang, who retired earlier this year, died early on October 27 after a sudden heart attack at the age of 68. In an official obituary, state media praised Li Keqiang as “an outstanding leader of the Party and the State” and stated that his passing was a “great loss” for China.

"The Prime Minister of the People"

Hours after the sad news broke, millions of people took to Chinese social media platforms to pay their respects to the “people’s prime minister,” a government leader known for his gentle voice.

Tao Jingzhou, an international arbitration expert and classmate of Li Keqiang at Peking University, said he was shocked to hear the news. “Keqiang has left us forever. He was never idle, always humble and tolerant for the benefit of others and the country. His passing is truly too sudden,” Tao Jingzhou wrote on social media.

Jiang Mingan, a law professor at Peking University and a former classmate of Li Keqiang, called the grief over the passing of the former Chinese Premier "indescribable."

Many people who had contact with former Premier Li Keqiang shared photos of him on the social media platform Weibo. These included photos documenting his visit to Sichuan shortly after the region was devastated by the historic 2013 earthquake, and his visit to a hospital in Wuhan in late January 2020. He was the first high-ranking Chinese leader to visit the epicenter of the Covid-19 pandemic when it first broke out.

"It warms my heart to remember the moment when Li Keqiang asked medical staff in Wuhan to call home every day," one social media user wrote.

Fluent in English, former Premier Li Keqiang frequently represented China at international events such as the annual China-EU Summit. Notably, he cultivated strong relationships with European leaders, most notably former German Chancellor Angela Merkel.

Several European embassies in China have sent their deepest condolences. On social media platform X, German Ambassador to China Patricia Flor described former Premier Li Keqiang as “a valuable partner who positively shaped bilateral relations.”

Li Keqiang's last meeting with his German counterpart was in November when he hosted Chancellor Olaf Scholz in Beijing. "He will always be remembered," Flor wrote.

In Tokyo, Japanese Chief Cabinet Secretary Hirokazu Matsuno, the government's top spokesperson, said the former Chinese Premier "played an important role" in bilateral relations. In 2018, Li Keqiang made an official visit to Japan and participated in a trilateral meeting of leaders. "We offer our sincere condolences and prayers for former Premier Li Keqiang," Matsuno said.

In Washington, according to State Department spokesman Matthew Miller, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken sent condolences to the government and people of China.

Unwavering pursuit of reform

As the first Chinese Prime Minister to hold both a Bachelor of Law degree and a Doctorate in Economics from the prestigious Peking University, Li Keqiang is remembered for his significant contributions to managing the world's second-largest economy.

During his decade as China's Premier, Li Keqiang steered the world's second-largest economy through turbulent times, from the difficulties caused by rising government debt to trade tensions with arch-rival the United States and the Covid-19 pandemic.

He served two five-year terms – the maximum term allowed by the Chinese constitution for the position of Prime Minister. The official obituary praised the former Prime Minister for his “wholehearted support of the Belt and Road Initiative and the poverty alleviation campaign” – initiated by President Xi Jinping. Li Keqiang was also credited with efforts to balance economic growth and social stability.

In his first year as China's Premier, Li pushed forward an economic policy that foreign media dubbed "Likonomics"—no stimulus, de-escalation of fiscal leverage, and structural reforms.

This policy was seen as a solution to an unbalanced economy plagued by rising government debt and excessive infrastructure investment. The idea behind these measures was to trade short-term economic difficulties for long-term benefits.

Approachable and pragmatic, former Premier Li Keqiang tirelessly promoted market-oriented reforms, simplified government procedures, and created a better business environment for private and foreign companies.

Zhu Tian, ​​a professor of economics at the China International Business School in Europe, commented: “Former Premier Li Keqiang committed to market-oriented reforms. He was a charismatic truth-teller and a very popular prime minister.”

In 2013, when Li Keqiang officially took office as Premier, Beijing implemented historic reforms to allow the market to play a decisive role in resource allocation. This was followed by a detailed and thorough reform roadmap, upon which the economy continued to grow steadily for a decade – albeit at a slower-than-average rate (5-6%) – and approached the threshold of high-income countries worldwide.

Speaking at the National People's Congress last March, he declared, "China's open-door policy will not change, just as the flow of the Yangtze and Yellow Rivers will not be reversed."

Bert Hofman, Director of the East Asian Institute at the National University of Singapore, recalled: “Li Keqiang always impressed me with his dedication to China’s development, his inquisitive intellect, his deep understanding of the economy, and how China could learn from international best practices in economic management.”

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