Li Keqiang

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Li Keqiang
李克强
Li Keqiang

In office
December 2004 – October 2007
Deputy Zhang Wenyue
Preceded by Wen Shizhen
Succeeded by Zhang Wenyue

12th CPC Henan Committee Secretary
In office
June 1998 – December 2004
Deputy Li Chengyu
Preceded by Chen Kuiyuan
Succeeded by Xu Guangchun

Born July 1955
Flag of the People's Republic of China Dingyuan, Anhui
Political party Communist Party of China
Alma mater Peking University

Li Keqiang (Chinese: 李克强; pinyin: Lǐ Kèqíang, born July 1955) is currently the Executive Vice-Premier of China and the 7th ranked member of the powerful Politburo Standing Committee, the People's Republic of China's de facto top power organ. Having previously served as Governor of Henan and the province's CPC party chief from 1998 to 2004, and then the Liaoning party chief, an office that makes him first-in-charge in that province. Li is speculated as one of the likely successors to Hu Jintao and Wen Jiabao in the "fifth generation" of CPC leadership.

[edit] Biography

Li was born in Dingyuan, Anhui in 1955. He received his LLB, and later a PhD in Economics from Peking University. He entered the top leadership of the Communist Youth League (CYL) in 1982, and has worked closely with current President Hu Jintao since. He is a representative member of the first generation to have risen from the CYL leadership.

Li became China's youngest governor when appointed to be in charge of Henan, one of China's most populous provinces, in June 1998, at the age of 43. Knowing the complicated situation Henan was in, and the issues associated with networking in the province, Li consciously left his family in Beijing to head to Zhengzhou alone. In addition, according to provincial government officials working with him at the time, Li refused to participate in any banquets or large fancy events not related to government activities[1].

He is known to be outspoken with a sharp tongue, and led economic development in the central Chinese province, transforming the poor inland region into an attractive area for investment. Li wasted little time in pursuing superficial projects, but rather trekked all regions of Henan trying to search for a comprehensive solution to the province's growing problems. Henan jumped in national GDP rankings from 28th in the early 1990's to 18th in 2004, when Li left Henan.

He was transferred to work as the CPC Committee Secretary in Liaoning in December 2004. In Liaoning he is known for the "Five-points to one Line" project, where he linked up Dalian and Dandong, as well as a series of other ports into a comprehensive network. Predictions he would eventually advance to the national level at the 17th Party Congress proved correct when he was elected to the Politburo Standing Committee in October 2007. He was succeeded in his provincial post by Governor Zhang Wenyue.

Li has been touted as a possible successor to Hu Jintao, whose second term as General Secretary, expected to be his last, will end in 2012. At the 2008 National People's Congress, he was elected Vice-Premier, first in rank. This position makes it seem more likely that he will succeed Premier Wen Jiabao.

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Political offices
Preceded by
Huang Ju
Executive Vice-Premier of the People's Republic of China
since 2008
Succeeded by
Incumbent
Preceded by
Ma Zhongchen
Governor of Henan
1998 – 2003
Succeeded by
Li Chengyu
Preceded by
Ren Keli
Chairman of Henan People's Congress
2003 – 2005
Succeeded by
Xu Guangchun
Preceded by
Wen Shizhen
Chairman of Liaoning People's Congress
2005 – 2007
Succeeded by
Zhang Xilin
Party political offices
Preceded by
Song Defu
First Secretary of the Communist Youth League of China
1993 – 1998
Succeeded by
Zhou Qiang
Preceded by
Chen Kuiyuan
Secretary of the CPC Henan Committee
2002 – 2004
Succeeded by
Xu Guangchun
Preceded by
Wen Shizhen
CPC Liaoning Committee Secretary
2004 – 2007
Succeeded by
Zhang Wenyue
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