The man nominated by President Xi Jinping as China’s next prime minister has been formally elected by parliament.
Li Qiang is the former head of the Communist Party of China’s largest city, Shanghai.
The 63-year-old got almost every vote out of more than 2,900 delegates at the National People’s Congress.
A close ally of President Xi, he is seen as a pragmatist and tasked with reviving the country’s ailing economy.
No reporters were allowed into the room while ballots were being cast during a session of China’s Stamp Parliament. There was applause when Mr. Xi cast his vote.
Mr. Li received a total of 2,936 votes, with only three delegates voting against his appointment and eight abstaining.
He then took an oath vowing to abide by the Chinese Constitution and “work hard to build a prosperous, strong, democratic, civilized, harmonious and great modern socialist country.”
Mr. Li was President Xi’s chief of staff in the early 2000s, when Mr. Xi was Zhejiang Provincial Party chief. Mr. Li was appointed Party Secretary of Shanghai in 2017.
During the pandemic, he oversaw Shanghai’s tight lockdown, which left some residents struggling to access food and medical supplies.
His appointment comes after Mr Xi secured a historic third term as president on Friday.
The president has consolidated his rule as China reopens its grueling zero-Covid policy that has fueled anti-government protests. The country is also facing a declining birth rate that is threatening its economic growth engine.
The so-called two sessions of the National People’s Congress and the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) this week will be closely watched as they provide a glimpse of China’s direction in the years to come.
Since Mao Zedong, leaders in China have been limited to two terms. When Mr. Xi changed that restriction in 2018, it transformed him into a figure with a reach not seen since Chairman Mao.
Add Comment