Li Qiang

China’s President Xi Jinping has appointed Li Qiang as the new Premier, replacing outgoing Premier Li Keqiang, as he consolidates his power further after being unanimously elected for an unprecedented third term. Li faces the challenge of shoring up China’s uneven post-pandemic economic recovery.

Who is Li Qiang?

Li Qiang is a veteran Communist Party official and a close ally of President Xi Jinping. He has been appointed as the new Premier of China, replacing Li Keqiang, who served in the role since 2013. Li is known to be a pragmatic and business-friendly leader.

Career of Li Qiang:

Li Qiang became part of the Communist Party in 1983 and started his career as a local government official. He was party secretary of the prefecture-level city of Wenzhou and then became the party secretary of Jiangsu province in 2016. Li has held a variety of senior positions in the Communist Party, including chief of staff to Xi Jinping when he was governor of Fujian province and also when he was Party Secretary of Zhejiang province.

Role of Li Qiang as Premier:

As the new Premier of China, Li Qiang faces the challenge of shoring up China’s uneven post-pandemic economic recovery. The country’s economy has been hit hard by the COVID-19 pandemic, and Li will have to take steps to ensure that it recovers quickly. He will also have to tackle the country’s aging population and the increasing wealth gap between rural and urban areas.

Li is perceived to be pragmatic and business-friendly, which could help him in his role as Premier. He has close ties to President Xi Jinping, and this could also work in his favor. He will have to work closely with other senior leaders in the Communist Party to implement policies that can help the country’s economy recover from the impact of the pandemic.