China New Premier: Jinping made Li Qiang the new Prime Minister, Li Keqiang accepted defeat from Chinese President, targeted – china li keqiang bows out as premier president
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Xi Jinping confirmed on Saturday the appointment of Li Qiang as the country’s new prime minister. New premier Li Keqiang will be tasked with reviving the world’s second-largest economy, battered by a three-year strict lockdown to contain the spread of COVID-19 and strained relations with the West. He will replace Li Keqiang (67), who held the post of the country’s prime minister for the last 10 years. Li Qiang’s candidacy was ratified at the annual session of the National People’s Congress (NPC). President Xi himself proposed his name. According to the Hong Kong-based ‘South China Morning Post’ newspaper, however, his ‘election’ over Xi was not unanimous.
Li Keqiang was involved in the presidential race
Of the 2,947 NCP members, 2,936 supported his name, while three voted against him and eight abstained. After the vote, Xi signed an executive order appointing Li Qiang as prime minister, after which he took an oath of allegiance to the constitution. Xi was seen shaking hands with Qiang in a brief video clip later broadcast on national television. He also shook hands with Li Keqiang and bid him farewell. Li Keqiang, who was a contender with Xi in the 2012 presidential race, decided to retire last year. He is said to be unhappy with the president’s pressure to crack down on corruption and tighten his grip on the military. He is considered to be a less powerful prime minister than the former prime ministers.
Li Qiang, 63, who is said to be a pro-business leader among those close to Xi, will be the second-in-command of the ruling Communist Party of China (CPC) and government. Earlier, Xi’s unprecedented third term as President was sealed on Friday. Xi, 69, is the only leader since party founder Mao Tse-tung to have more than two five-year terms and is expected to remain in office for life. Bilateral relations between China and some major Western countries, especially the US, are at their lowest level in decades, sparking trouble in the technology and investment sectors. Li Qiang, who worked with Xi at the provincial level, was party chief in Shanghai, China’s biggest modern business hub. His lockdown imposed last year to prevent the spread of Kovid-19 cases was sharply criticized. It is expected that Li Qiang will encourage the private sector in the second largest economy as well as increase foreign investment.
Li Qiang faces a mountain of challenges
Outgoing premier Li Keqiang has proposed a five per cent growth rate for the economy this year, the slowest in decades. Li Qiang’s focus during his tenure will be on getting the economy back on track, mitigating immediate risks, enhancing the potential for long-term growth, and turning China into a high-income economy. Li Qiang is expected to address his first annual press conference on March 13, the last day of the NPC session, on plans to revive the Chinese economy and deal with challenges such as the demographic crisis, technological bottlenecks and the US crackdown on China’s high technology. Can talk The NPC also approved other appointments, including that of the Supreme Court president nominated by the CPC.
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