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SINGAPORE, April 9 (ANI): The power of China’s State Council is rapidly fading, while the country’s political machine appears to be increasingly directed by Chinese President and General Secretary Xi Jinping. The two leaders, Li Keqiang, reported on SingPost.
Li Keqiang, who was premier of the People’s Republic of China for a decade, will be remembered for promoting the private economy and foreign investment, while Xi’s main focus has been state ownership.
Li Keqiang, once seen as a potential top leader, has spent years deliberately staying out of the spotlight so as not to overtake Mr. Xi. Meanwhile, Xi Jinping has amassed increasing power.
Many say Li Keqiang joined the Communist Party with lofty ambitions to contribute to the country, but were stifled by ossified bureaucracy. His departure casts question marks over the future of the country’s private sector and the broader economic reforms he championed, according to the Singapore Post.
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Experts believe Li Keqiang may be the last prime minister of his type, whose economically-focused governance contrasts sharply with Xi Jinping’s ideological tone and authoritarian leanings.
Lee had resigned from the ruling Communist Party’s all-powerful Politburo Standing Committee in October last year, although he had not yet reached retirement age, the Singapore Post reported.
“The sky is watching people, and the sky is watching people.” This is what Li had to say when he bid farewell to more than 800 senior government officials.
Many interpreted his remarks as a dig at Mr. Xi. The controversial clip, which went viral on the Internet, was not aired by the official China Central Television.
Lee’s words expressed a deep sense of frustration. According to the Singapore Post, analysts believe that the witty, outspoken and rousing intellectual delivered a bland and tepid farewell speech.
Although Li and Xi have never publicly disagreed, it is clear that the two have not worked closely together. In fact, according to analysts, a decade-long “Civil War” is being waged in Beijing’s Zhongnanhai district, which houses the offices of senior Chinese officials. The southern campus is a stronghold of the Communist Party led by Xi Jinping, while the northern campus is home to the State Council, the Chinese government formerly headed by Li Keqiang.
Since 2012, the South Campus has gained the upper hand. According to the Singapore Post, in 2016, the Communist Party’s mouthpiece, the People’s Daily, published an article criticizing Li Keqiang’s economic stimulus measures “Likonomics.”
Then in 2018, much of the State Council’s powers were transferred to Communist Party institutions. During this period, Xi appeared to favor economic adviser Liu He and legislator Li Zhanshu over Li Keqiang, leaving the economist with little leverage.
Li Keqiang’s inability to stop Xi Jinping in this regard is considered by many to be one of his major missteps. According to the Singapore Post, experts believe that Li Keqiang has the potential to prevent Xi Jinping from “subverting” the spirit of the “reform and opening up” policy launched in 1978, but he has shown little courage.
Li Qiang’s successor, Li Qiang, is considered a Xi Jinping confidant, best known for his ruthless months-long Covid lockdown in Shanghai.
According to the Singapore Post, this marks China’s shift from letting skilled technocrats at the helm to favoring those who are closer to and more loyal to Xi Jinping. (Arnie)
(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from a Syndicated News feed, the content body may not have been modified or edited by LatestLY staff)
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