Li Keqiang

Early years

Li Keqiang was born on July 1, 1955 in Dingyuan County, Anhui Province. His father, Li Fengsan, was a local official. In 1974 , during the Cultural Revolution , Li graduated from high school and was sent to the Dongling Brigade of Damyao Collective Farm in Fengyun County, Anhui Province. In November 1976 he joined the Chinese Communist Party and became the secretary of the party cell of the brigade, received the title of “ Outstanding Person in Studying the Teachings of Mao Zedong .”

In 1978, Li entered Peking University Law School, where he studied until 1982 (bachelor in law ^[1] ), and was chairman of the student council of the university. Since February 1982 - Secretary of the Komsomol Committee of Peking University.

Communist Youth League of China

In 1983 - 1985, he served as the head of the Chinese Communist Youth Union Department of Educational Institutions, while being the executive secretary of the All-China Student Union , as well as a candidate for the secretariat of the Central Committee of the Chinese Communist Youth Union ( Hu Jintao will become the first secretary of the Komsomol in 1984). In 1985-1993 , he was a member of the Secretariat of the Central Committee of the Chinese Communist Youth Union, deputy chairman of the All-China Youth Federation .

From 1988 to 1995 he studied at the graduate school of Economics at Peking University , where he received a doctorate in economics . In September – November 1991, he studied at the Central Party School under the Central Committee of the CPC . From March 1993 to June 1998 - First Secretary of the Secretariat of the Central Committee of the Communist Youth League of China of the 13th convocation, concurrently - Rector of the Political Youth Institute of China . In 1993-1998. also a member of the Committee on Internal Affairs and Justice of the NPC of the 8th convocation.

Subsequently, he was ranked as “ tuanpai ” - an informal association within the CCP, consisting of former functionaries of the Chinese Komsomol ^[3] .

Provincial Activities

From June 1998 to December 2004, Li Keqiang held various leadership positions in Henan Province: in 1998–2002 - Deputy Secretary of the Provincial CPC Committee, in 1998–2003 - Acting Governor, Provincial Governor (he was the youngest governor of China, he was then was 43 years old ^[4] ), in 2003-2004 - the secretary of the provincial CPC committee and the chairman of the Standing Committee of the Provincial People’s Assembly.

Li Keqiang inherited one of China's most overpopulated, poor and problem provinces. Lee did not spend time on individual projects, but began to search for a comprehensive solution to the province’s economic growth problem. He managed to make the province attractive for investment. If in the 1990s, Henan Province was 28th in China in terms of GDP , then in 2004, when Lee left the province, it was 18th ^[5] . By the time of his work in Henan, there was a scandal involving the illegal sale of blood, which caused tens of thousands of people to become infected with AIDS ^[3] .

In 2004, he was transferred to Liaoning Province, where from December 2004 to October 2007 ( XVII Congress of the CPC ) he served as head of the provincial party committee and chairman of the standing committee of its legislative assembly ^[6] . Li Keqiang implemented the project “Five points in one line” in Liaoning province, which consists in combining the ports of Dalian , Dandong and others into a single transport network to improve trade. Much has been done to solve the housing problem ^[3] .

According to political observer Hu Sindou, Li Keqiang passed an excellent school in Henan province, which is occupied mainly by agricultural areas, as well as Liaoning province, where old industrial bases are being restored ^[4] .

By the XVII Congress of the CCP, Li Keqiang was indicated along with Xi Jinping as the main contenders for the succession of Hu Jintao planned for 2012 (XVIII Congress of the CCP) ^[3] .

Central Government Jobs

Since 1997, Li Keqiang has been a member of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China of the 15th, 16th, 17th and 18th convocations, and since 2007, a member of the Politburo of the CPC Central Committee and the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee of the 17th and 18th convocations In 1993-1998 he was a member of the Standing Committee of the All-China Assembly of People's Representatives of the 8th convocation.

On March 17, 2008, at the congress of the All-China Assembly of People's Representatives of the 11th convocation, Li Keqiang was appointed First Deputy Prime Minister of the State Council of the PRC. In this post, he was responsible for development and reform, energy , construction and healthcare . The post of First Deputy Prime Minister, as well as second place in the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Central Committee of the CPC, made it possible to confidently consider Li Keqiang as the successor to Wen Jiabao as Prime Minister of the State Council of the People’s Republic of China .

“He has a reputation for caring for the poor. Many call this the result of modest education, ”the BBC noted ^[7] .

Prime Minister of the PRC

On March 15, 2013, at the 1st Congress of the All-China Assembly of People’s Representatives (NPC) of the 12th convocation, Li Keqiang was appointed Prime Minister of the State Council of the PRC - the head of the Chinese government.

Upon taking office, Li Keqiang made a statement that the State Council of China would give up a third of its functions in favor of society and the market, since, according to him, departments control and make decisions on too many issues. ^[8] .

“The Economist”, noting the weakness of the Chinese economy in the first months of 2013, quotes Li Keqiang said in June: “In order to achieve the economic goals of the current year, incentive policies or direct public investments are not enough - we must rely on market mechanisms ... We must revive private investment and expenses with using deregulation and other reforms ” ^[9] .

On March 18, 2018, deputies of the first session of the All-China Assembly of People's Representatives (NPC) of the 13th convocation re-elected Li Keqiang for a second term as Prime Minister of the State Council of the PRC - the head of the Chinese government. 2964 deputies of the parliament supported his candidacy, two deputies voted against. Li Keqiang’s candidacy was proposed by President Xi Jinping , head of state ^[10] .

Li Keqiang is married to Cheng Hong , who is a professor at the Capital University of Economics and Business in Beijing . At the moment, there is a daughter from marriage ^[11] .

“A young man who always reads books,” was what Li Keqiang characterized his peers, who worked with him in the villages along the Komsomol line. He became one of the first students of the prestigious Faculty of Law at Peking University, restored after the Cultural Revolution , even then stood out among students with his independent thinking, eloquence and wit. It is known that he refused to take an internship in the United States to be a Komsomol member ^[4] .

Included in the list of the most influential people in the world according to Forbes. In 2018, it took 15th place in the rating. ^[12]

• Order of Pakistan 1st Class ( Nishan-e-Pakistan ) ( 2013 ) ^[13]

• Vavilov N.N. The uncrowned kings of red China. Clans and political groups of the PRC / T.V. Dneprovskaya. - M .: Conceptual, 2019 .-- 200 p. - ISBN 978-5-907079-47-2 .

• Twitter.com/China_Prime (Chinese, English, Russian) twitter.com account
• Li Keqiang. Curriculum Vitae. Radio "Voice of Russia" (Russian)
• Biography of Li Keqiang. China Internet Information Center (中国 网) (Russian)
• Biography of Li Keqiang. China International Radio (CRI Online Russian) (rus.)