Tributes paid to former premier who passed away in Shanghai on Oct 27 due to a sudden heart attack

A Chinese national flag flies at half-mast to mourn the death of Comrade Li Keqiang, at Tian’anmen Square in Beijing on Nov 2, 2023 when his remains were cremated. (PHOTO / XINHUA)

The mortal remains of Comrade Li Keqiang were cremated in Beijing on Nov 2.

Li was a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the 17th, 18th and 19th Communist Party of China central committees and former premier of the State Council.

He was extolled as an excellent CPC member, a time-tested and loyal communist soldier and an outstanding proletarian revolutionist, statesman and leader of the Party and the State.

To mourn his death, national flags flew at half-staff on Nov 2 at Tian’anmen Square, Xinhuamen, the Great Hall of the People and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Beijing, as well as at the seats of CPC committees and governments of provinces, autonomous regions and municipalities, the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, the Macao Special Administrative Region, border ports, seaports and airports of entry, and Chinese embassies and consulates.

Li died of a sudden heart attack in Shanghai at ten minutes past midnight on Oct 27 after all-out rescue efforts failed, according to an official obituary notice jointly issued by the CPC Central Committee, the National People’s Congress Standing Committee, the State Council, and the National Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference. His remains were transferred to Beijing from Shanghai aboard a special flight on Oct 27. He was 68.

Born in July 1955, Li was from Dingyuan, East China’s Anhui province. In March 1974, he went to Dongling Brigade, Damiao Commune, Fengyang County of Anhui as an educated youth.

He became a CPC member in May 1976.

Former premier Li Keqiang. (PHOTO PROVIDED TO CHINA DAILY)

Between November 1976 and March 1978, Li served as the Party chief of Damiao Brigade. Li went to study at the Department of Law at Peking University between March 1978 and February 1982. He once served as the head of the Students’ Union of the university.

He was appointed premier of the State Council at the first session of the 12th NPC in March 2013 and served as the secretary of the Leading Party Members Group of the State Council.

Faced with complicated domestic and international situations, under the strong leadership of the CPC Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping at its core, Li followed the general principle of pursuing progress while ensuring stability, maintained strategic resolve, and improved approaches to macro regulation with greater attention to anticipatory adjustments, fine-tuning and targeted regulation.

He was re-appointed premier of the State Council at the first session of the 13th NPC in March 2018 and again served as the secretary of the Leading Party Members Group of the State Council.

In March 2023, Li no longer served as the premier. After retiring from the leadership post, Li continued to firmly uphold the leadership of the CPC Central Committee with Comrade Xi at its core, care for advancing the cause of the Party and the country, and firmly uphold the Party’s efforts to improve conduct, build integrity, and combat corruption.

Li’s life was a revolutionary, hardworking and glorious one, and one that was dedicated to wholeheartedly serving the people and the communist cause, said the obituary notice, adding that his death is a great loss to the Party and the state.

The obituary notice called for turning grief into strength to rally more closely around the CPC Central Committee with Comrade Xi at its core, and to strive in unity for fully building a strong country and achieving national rejuvenation through a Chinese path to modernization.

“Eternal glory to Comrade Li Keqiang!” the obituary notice said in concluding remark.