Get all your news in one place.
100’s of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
Asharq Al-Awsat
Asharq Al-Awsat
World
Asharq Al-Awsat

China Names Li Qiang Premier, Tasked with Reviving Economy

China's President Xi Jinping (R) shakes hands with newly-elected Premier Li Qiang (L) during the fourth plenary session of the National People's Congress (NPC) at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing on March 11, 2023. (Photo by GREG BAKER / POOL / AFP)

China on Saturday named Li Qiang, a close confidant of top leader Xi Jinping, as the country’s next premier nominally in charge of the world’s second-largest economy now facing some of its worst prospects in years.

Li was nominated by Xi and appointed to the position at Saturday morning’s session of the National People’s Congress.

As premier, Li will be charged with reviving a sluggish economy still emerging from the COVID-19 pandemic and confronted with weak global demand for exports, lingering US tariff hikes, a shrinking workforce and an aging population.

The career bureaucrat replaces Li Keqiang, who is retiring after two five-year terms during which his role was seen to be steadily diminished.

On Saturday, Li Qiang received 2,936 votes, with three votes against and eight abstentions, according to totals projected on a screen inside the Great Hall of the People in central Beijing.

He will make his closely watched debut on the international stage on Monday during the premier's traditional media question-and-answer session after the parliamentary session ends.

Li was put on track to become premier in October, when he was appointed to the number-two role on the Politburo Standing Committee during the twice-a-decade Communist Party Congress.

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100’s of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.