Xi Jinping's China

Li Keqiang's death - second after Xi in a decade 

China's former Premier Li Keqiang has died after suffering a heart attack, the state-run New China News Agency said. 

 

Bloomberg describes Li as China's "second most powerful man for a decade" and AP writes that the sudden death has shocked many in the country. Li was an English-speaking economist who represented a more liberal economic vision, but his influence declined as Xi Jinping's power increased. 

 

Li was elected premier by China's Politburo in late 2012 and took office the following year, a position he held until stepping down in March this year. His exit marked a shift in China's top echelon, where loyalty to Xi has become central.

 

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Analysis: Li Keqiang's death could threaten Xi Jinping's power 

Former Premier Li Keqiang's sudden death from a heart attack could result in political turmoil in China. That's what the BBC's China correspondent Stephen McDonell writes in an analysis.  

 

Li represented a more liberal policy than that pursued by President Xi Jinping. The Communist Party does not want the mourning of the popular Keqiang to bring with it criticism of Xi, notes McDonell. 

 

DN's Asia correspondent Marianne Björklund writes that Keqiang's passing marks the end of an era. He was the last top politician who stood for a China open to the outside world. She too states that popular political leaders can ignite sparks of protest.  

 

"It could be a worrying development if he is declared a hero."