Li Keqiang
Awards & Honours
0
Awards Won
6
Honours
3
Rankings
4
Records
Li Keqiang's record is measured in offices held rather than trophies. He ran the State Council for a full decade, from 2013 to 2023, one of only a handful of premiers to serve two complete terms, and he did it as the second-ranking member of the Politburo Standing Committee, the apex of power in China. Before that he was first-ranked vice premier for five years and First Secretary of the Communist Youth League for five more, and he governed two major provinces, Henan and Liaoning, along the way. What sets his record apart is the timing: he managed the world's second-largest economy through a growth slowdown, a trade war and a pandemic, and he is the only premier since 1949 to die within a year of leaving office. The Li Keqiang Index remains his most durable contribution to how economists talk about China.
Honours & Distinctions
Premier of the State Council of the People's Republic of China
Held the highest administrative office in China from March 2013 until March 2023.
Second-ranking member of the Politburo Standing Committee
Served from 2012 to 2022, the second most powerful position in the party hierarchy.
First-ranked Vice Premier of the State Council
Oversaw economic affairs under Premier Wen Jiabao from 2008 to 2013.
First Secretary of the Communist Youth League of China
Led the League from 1993 to 1998, the launchpad for his national career.
Party Secretary of Liaoning Province
Governed the industrial northeast from 2004 to 2007.
Party Secretary and Governor of Henan Province
Served as governor and later party secretary of Henan from 1998 to 2004.
Rankings & Lists
Most famous person in China
Most famous person from China
Most famous person in East Asia
Records & Feats
Earliest death of any Premier of the People's Republic of China
Li Keqiang died on October 27, 2023, less than eight months after leaving office, making him the first premier since 1949 to die so soon after stepping down.
Youngest premier at the time of leaving office
He retired from the premiership in March 2023 at 67, the youngest age at which any Chinese premier has left the post.
The Li Keqiang Index
An economic gauge named after him, built on railway freight volume, electricity consumption and bank lending, adopted by analysts as an alternative to official GDP figures.
Served a full decade as premier
One of only a few premiers to complete two full five-year terms, from March 2013 to March 2023.