Xi Jinping (R) shakes hands with Li Keqiang (L) at the fifth plenary meeting of the first session of the 12th National People's Congress in Beijing, March 15, 2013. (Photo: Xinhua/TSR)

March 15, 2013 (TSR-Xinhua) – Li Keqiang was endorsed as Chinese premier Friday morning at the ongoing session of the 12th National People’s Congress (NPC), the country’s top legislature.

Nearly 3,000 NPC deputies voted to approve the nomination of Li, by newly-elected President Xi Jinping, as the candidate for premier at the legislative session.

By approving Li’s nomination, the deputies cleared the way for Li to be appointed as premier by President Xi.

When the voted endorsement was announced, Li stood up and bowed to the deputies, smiling. He shook hands with President Xi and former Premier Wen Jiabao.

Li Keqiang is endorsed as the premier of China's State Council at the fifth plenary meeting of the first session of the 12th National People's Congress (NPC) in Beijing, capital of China, March 15, 2013. (Photo: Xinhua/TSR)
Li Keqiang is endorsed as the premier of China’s State Council at the fifth plenary meeting of the first session of the 12th National People’s Congress (NPC) in Beijing, capital of China, March 15, 2013. (Photo: Xinhua/TSR)

After the NPC meeting, Xi signed his first presidential decree to appoint Li as premier.

Li becomes the seventh premier since the People’s Republic of China (PRC) was founded in 1949, replacing Wen who had headed the State Council since 2003.

Born in 1955 in Anhui Province, he joined the Communist Party of China (CPC) in 1976 and graduated from Peking University with law and economics degrees.

After working as provincial leaders in Henan and Liaoning, he was elected to the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee in 2007 and appointed vice premier in 2008.

Li was reelected to the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee in November.

“The new premier bears an important but difficult mission,” NPC deputy Wang Yuzhi said. “We have high expectations of him and the new government.”

After a decade of fast economic growth, China’s national strength has notably increased but the country also faces a tough task to push forward reform in key areas, Wang said.

Xi Jinping (R) shakes hands with Li Keqiang (L)  at the fifth plenary meeting of the first session of the 12th National People's Congress in Beijing, March 15, 2013. (Photo: Xinhua/TSR)
Xi Jinping (R) shakes hands with Li Keqiang (L) at the fifth plenary meeting of the first session of the 12th National People’s Congress in Beijing, March 15, 2013. (Photo: Xinhua/TSR)

Li is known for calling reform “the biggest dividend for China.”

Since being reelected in November as a senior Party leader, Li has used different occasions to facilitate reforms and showed toughness in advancing complex ones.

“Reform is like rowing upstream. Failing to advance means falling back,” he said at a symposium on advancing comprehensive reforms.

“Those who refuse to reform may not make mistakes, but they will be blamed for not assuming their historical responsibility.”

At Friday’s meeting, the deputies also voted to decide on the country’s military leaders.

Fan Changlong and Xu Qiliang were endorsed as vice chairmen of the Central Military Commission (CMC) of the PRC, after the nomination by President Xi, also CMC chairman.

Chang Wanquan, Fang Fenghui, Zhang Yang, Zhao Keshi, Zhang Youxia, Wu Shengli, Ma Xiaotian and Wei Fenghe were appointed CMC members after Xi’s nomination.

General Fan, born in May 1947, and General Xu, born in March 1950, are both members of the Political Bureau of the 18th CPC Central Committee and vice chairmen of the CPC Central Military Commission.

The NPC deputies also elected Zhou Qiang as president of the Supreme People’s Court and reelected Cao Jianming as procurator-general of the Supreme People’s Procuratorate.

Li Keqiang’s Bio Brief

Li Keqiang

The following is the biographical sketch of Li Keqiang:

Li Keqiang, born in July 1955, is a male ethnic Han from Dingyuan, Anhui Province. He entered the workforce in March 1974 and joined the Communist Party of China (CPC) in May 1976. He graduated from the School of Economics at Peking University with a major in economics, has an in-service postgraduate education and holds the degree of Doctor of Economics.

He is currently a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee, premier of the State Council and secretary of its Leading Party Members’ Group.

1974-1976 Educated youth, Dongling Brigade, Damiao Commune, Fengyang County, Anhui Province

1976-1978 Secretary, Party Branch, Damiao Brigade, Damiao Commune, Fengyang County, Anhui Province

1978-1982 Student, Department of Law; and leader, Students’ Union of Peking University

1982-1983 Secretary, Committee of the Communist Youth League (CYL), Peking University; member, Standing Committee, CYL Central Committee

1983-1983 Director, School Department, CYL Central Committee; secretary-general, All-China Students’ Federation

1983-1985 alternate member, Secretariat, CYL Central Committee

1985-1993 Member, Secretariat, CYL Central Committee; vice chairman, All-China Youth Federation (09/1991-11/1991: student of a further studies course for provincial and ministerial level officials at Central Party School)

1993-1998 First member, Secretariat, CYL Central Committee; president, China Youth University for Political Sciences (1988-1994: studied economics in an in-service postgraduate program at the School of Economics at Peking University, and awarded the degrees of Master of Economics and Doctor of Economics)

1998-1999 Deputy secretary, CPC Henan Provincial Committee; acting governor, Henan Province; and concurrently director, Yellow River Flood Control Headquarters

1999-2002 Deputy secretary, CPC Henan Provincial Committee; governor, Henan Province; and concurrently director, Yellow River Flood Control Headquarters

2002-2003 Secretary, CPC Henan Provincial Committee; governor, Henan Province; and concurrently director, Yellow River Flood Control Headquarters

2003-2004 Secretary, CPC Henan Provincial Committee; chairman, Standing Committee, Henan Provincial People’s Congress

2004-2005 Secretary, CPC Liaoning Provincial Committee

2005-2007 Secretary, CPC Liaoning Provincial Committee; chairman, Standing Committee, Liaoning Provincial People’s Congress

2007-2008 Member, Standing Committee, Political Bureau, CPC Central Committee

2008-2013 Member, Standing Committee, Political Bureau, CPC Central Committee; vice premier of the State Council and deputy secretary of its Leading Party Members’ Group; director of Three Gorges Project Construction Committee and of South-to-North Water Diversion Construction Project Committee; head of the leading group of deepening the reform of medical and health care system, State Council

2013- Member, Standing Committee, Political Bureau, CPC Central Committee; premier of the State Council and secretary of its Leading Party Members’ Group; director of Three Gorges Project Construction Committee and of South-to-North Water Diversion Construction Project Committee; head of the leading group of deepening the reform of medical and health care system, State Council

Member, Fifteenth through Eighteenth CPC Central Committees; member, Political Bureau and its Standing Committee, Seventeenth and Eighteenth CPC Central Committees; member, Standing Committee, Eighth NPC.

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