China’s reformist leader Li Keqiang was on Friday chosen as the new Premier of the world’s second largest economy as the Communist giant gears up to revive growth and grapple growing corruption, completing a well choreographed once-in-a-decade leadership change.
With the election of 57-year-old Li, an English-speaking bureaucrat, the country has replaced old guards at all levels in the government.
Li, the Vice Premier in the old administration headed by outgoing Premier Wen Jiabao, was elected by about 3,000 deputies of the National People’s Congress, (NPC), known as the rubber stamp Parliament for routinely endorsing the decisions of the ruling Communist Party of China (CPC). Together with new President Xi Jinping, Li, ranked No 2 in the CPC hierarchy, is expected to steer the party and the country for the next ten years, just the way outgoing leaders Hu Jintao and Wen did for a decade.
Li’s name was proposed by Xi, who is also the General Secretary of the CPC besides the Chief of Military and who succeeded Hu as President on Thursday.Li won 99.7 per cent of the 2,949 votes counted, with just three votes against him and six abstentions.
With the election of 57-year-old Li, an English-speaking bureaucrat, the country has replaced old guards at all levels in the government.
Li, the Vice Premier in the old administration headed by outgoing Premier Wen Jiabao, was elected by about 3,000 deputies of the National People’s Congress, (NPC), known as the rubber stamp Parliament for routinely endorsing the decisions of the ruling Communist Party of China (CPC). Together with new President Xi Jinping, Li, ranked No 2 in the CPC hierarchy, is expected to steer the party and the country for the next ten years, just the way outgoing leaders Hu Jintao and Wen did for a decade.
Li’s name was proposed by Xi, who is also the General Secretary of the CPC besides the Chief of Military and who succeeded Hu as President on Thursday.Li won 99.7 per cent of the 2,949 votes counted, with just three votes against him and six abstentions.