BBC News Top Stories-Uk Former China PM Li Keqiang dead at 68
October 27, 2023 2 min 388 words
前中国总理李克强去世的消息令人惋惜。他在中国共产党内曾经是第二号人物，但最终却相对边缘化，这反映出中国政治体系的现实。李克强是一位受过良好经济学训练的领导者，他在经济政策上注重减少贫富差距和提供经济适用房等方面取得了显著成就。然而，在最后一任期内，中国零COVID危机却笼罩了他的执政，他提出了维护经济稳定的建议，但最终被习近平的“零COVID”政策所压倒。这个情况反映了中国政治领袖面临的压力和权力对抗。 李克强的去世引起了广泛的哀悼，这表明他在中国社会中有一定的声望。他被认为是一位务实的领导者，但他的政治生涯末期却受到了中国零COVID政策的阴影。他是中国政治体系的一个代表，同时也反映了中国政治的权谋和复杂性。他的去世标志着中国政坛的一种变迁，将进一步影响中国政治格局。这是中国政治发展的一个重要时刻，也值得关注。
Former Chinese premier Li Keqiang has died at 68, state media has reported.
He was the second most powerful man in the ruling Chinese Communist Party until he retired last year.
State media said he had been "resting" in Shanghai when he suffered a sudden heart attack on Thursday.
He passed away ten minutes past midnight on Friday despite "all-out efforts" to revive him, state broadcaster CCTV said.
Li rose through the party ranks despite not having any power base, and at one point was even pegged for the top role of president.
A trained economist, he was initially given the reins of China's economy, but analysts said he became increasing sidelined towards the end of his career as Chinese President Xi Jinping gathered power around himself.
In his final term, he became the only incumbent top official who didn't belong to President Xi's loyalists group.
Li was seen to be aligned to former leader Hu Jintao, who was taken off stage at last year's Party Congress on Mr Xi's orders.
As he was being led away, he tapped Li Keqiang on the shoulder in a friendly gesture and the premier nodded back.
Li's death is being widely mourned online, with one person on Chinese social media saying it was like losing "a pillar of our home".
The elite Peking University-educated leader was known for being pragmatic in economic policies, with policies that focused on reducing the wealth gap and providing affordable housing.
Li will be remembered for his strong economic track record but the end of his time in office was mired in China's zero-Covid crisis.
During the worst of it, he said the economy was under massive pressure and called on officials to be mindful of not letting restrictions smash growth. He even appeared unmasked in public before China lifted its zero-Covid policy.
But, when cadres had to choose between his order to protect the economy and Mr Xi's to maintain zero-Covid with extreme discipline, it was no contest.
"He was a very enthusiastic open man who really strove to get China ahead and facilitated open dialogue with people from all walks of life," Bert Hofman, a professor at the National University of Singapore told the BBC's Newsday programme.