His last major public speech was last March to open the first session of China’s annual political conclave. The first Minister Li Keqiang, As he had done so many other times, he appeared in front of the 3,000 delegates of the National Popular Assembly and read the usual parish leaflet of the Communist Party, exposing some of the latest achievements of the Government, giving glimpses of future political management and forecasts for growth. of the economy. After two five-year terms, he is always in the shadow of the omnipresent president Xi Jinping, Li said goodbye to the legislature that day. He was retiring. Almost eight months later, he died suddenly of a heart attack a Shanghai.
“He died ten minutes after midnight on Friday despite all efforts to revive him,” read a note broadcast by the state broadcaster CCTV. Lee I was 68 years old and, during the last decade, he was the second most powerful politician in the Asian giant.
Even last year, with the country’s economy being torn apart by restrictions under the zero Covid policy and with popular fatigue towards continuous closures, the profile of this veteran economist gained strength as a more reformist counterweight against the conservative nationalism of Xi Jinping.
There were many rumors about whether Li, like his boss, extended his power for an unprecedented third term since the era of Mao Zedong, he would revalidate another term in the position of prime minister. In the end, in the midst of a reorganization of key party positions, the boss of the Asian superpower He retired who had been his right-hand man and firm defender of the country’s openness.
In the early years of the Xi government, the prime minister was the responsible for macroeconomic policies. He was seen by many as a kind of guru of unbridled economic growth. But the truth is that, little by little, his hand in key decisions weakened while President Xi concentrated more and more power in his figure.