Li Keqiang to Deliver Work Report on Last Day Before Resigning
- ANTARA/M. Irfan Ilmie
VIVA – The first session of the 14th national People’s Congress was held at the Great Hall of the people. The ceremony was attended by party and state leaders, with Prime Minister Li Keqiang delivered the government work report before he is stepping down from politics.
After leaving the Standing Committee of the ruling Communist Party's Politburo in October, Li Keqiang's last major task was to deliver a state of the nation address to parliament on Monday. His last report was to reassure Beijing residents about the resilience of China's economy.
Previously, Li Keqiang said last year that upon reaching his two-term limit, he would step down as prime minister. Li's lack of visibility sometimes makes it difficult to remember that he is technically ranked Number two in the Communist Party.
Jokowi bersama Perdana Menteri RRT (Premier) Li Keqiang
- Biro Pers, Media dan Informasi Sekretariat Presiden
"Li was a premier who was largely kept out of the limelight at the behest of his boss," said Steve Tsang, director of the China Institute at the London University School of Oriental and African Studies and a longtime observer of Chinese politics.
"In an era where personal loyalty trumps everything, the fact that Li is a loyalist to Xi will probably be the main reason why he will be remembered," Tsang added.
For most of his career, Li Keqiang was known as a cautious, capable, and highly intelligent bureaucrat who rose to, and was bound by, a consensus-oriented Communist Party that reflexively silenced dissent.
As information, after graduation, Keqiang worked in the Communist Youth League – an organization that prepares university students for party roles – which was later headed by future president and party leader Hu Jintao.
Among the ranks of China's largely faceless bureaucrats, he managed to demonstrate an unusually honest demeanor.
In a US State Department released by WikiLeaks, Keqiang told diplomats that China's economic growth statistics were man-made, and said he instead looked at electricity demand, rail cargo traffic, and loans as more accurate indicators.
