Former premier Li Keqiang died of a sudden heart attack at the age of 68, state media have reported.

Li passed away 10 minutes past midnight on Friday in Shanghai despite "all-out efforts" to revive him, state media reports said.

"Li was extolled as an excellent CPC member, a time-tested and loyal communist soldier and an outstanding proletarian revolutionist, statesman and leader of the Party and the state," Xinhua News Agency said.

Li became China’s number two leader in 2013 and served for a decade, until he was succeeded by Li Qiang in March.

Li Keqiang was a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the 17th, 18th and 19th Communist Party of China Central Committees.

Born in Anhui province in eastern China in July 1955, Li rose through the Communist Party’s Youth League and became the youngest governor of Henan province in 1998 at the age of 43.

Li – who studied law at Peking University and had a doctorate in economics – was also known for his English proficiency.

During his time in the role as premier, Li helped steer the world’s second-largest economy through the global financial crisis, rising technology and trade tensions with the United States and the Covid pandemic.

"Under the strong leadership of the CPC Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping at its core, confronting multiple challenges including fast-changing international situations, the Covid-19 epidemic and downward pressure in the domestic economy, Li followed the general principle of pursuing progress while ensuring stability, fully and faithfully applied the new development philosophy on all fronts, worked to create a new pattern of development, promoted high-quality development, and balanced development and security imperatives," Xinhua said.

"Always bearing China's realities in mind, Li had been upholding and improving the country's basic socialist economic systems, and promoting economic reforms.

"Li consistently advanced the reforms to develop the socialist market economy and struck a proper balance between the government and the market. This enabled the market to play a decisive role in resource allocation and the government to better play its role, thus promoting both an efficient market and a well-functioning government."

Li delivered his last government work report as premier at the opening of the annual parliament in Beijing in March that marked the end of his two five-year terms.

"No matter how the international winds and clouds change, China will unswervingly expand its opening up," Li said at his last public appearance in a press conference in March.

"The Yangtze River and the Yellow River will not flow backwards."
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Last updated: 2023-10-27 HKT 22:02