Who Xi will choose as China’s next premier?
After being unveiled as number two in the Communist Party hierarchy on Sunday, Li Qiang is almost certain to become China’s next premier. He is one of President Xi Jinping‘s most trusted protégés.
Xi has stacked the party’s highest echelon of power, the Politburo Standing Committee, with his allies, as evidenced by the promotion of the Shanghai party chief over two other candidates deemed to have more traditional qualifications for the position. This shocking move confirms that Xi has stacked the Politburo Standing Committee with his allies.
The harsh two-month Shanghai lockdown he oversaw earlier this year, during which the city’s 25 million residents struggled to gain access to food and basic medical care, was viewed as having jeopardized Li’s chances of obtaining such a high-ranking position.
Li Qiang’s promotion demonstrates that loyalty trumps meritocracy in Xi’s China, according to Richard McGregor, a senior fellow at the Lowy Institute in Sydney.
“Li may be quite capable and may make a good prime minister, but it is difficult to see how he got there without Xi’s personal favor.”
Although it is not uncommon for former Shanghai leaders to be elevated to the party’s highest ranks, unlike almost all previous premiers, Li lacks experience as a vice premier at the central government level. However, he has extensive experience in local administration, having held leadership positions in the prosperous provinces of Zhejiang and Jiangsu.
Importantly, he served as Xi’s chief of staff from 2004 to 2007 while he was Zhejiang’s party chief. Since then, his rapid promotions reflect Xi’s high level of confidence in him.
Xi parachuted him into Jiangsu in 2016 after a corruption scandal removed several provincial officials, and the following year he was appointed party secretary of Shanghai. In his capacity as premier, Li would also lead the State Council, China’s cabinet.
The position traditionally entails responsibility for the country’s day-to-day operations and macroeconomic policy.
“(Li) was viewed as a business-friendly local leader, but it remains to be seen whether these skills will translate well to overseeing macroeconomic coordination and regulatory agendas as premier,” said Neil Thomas, senior China analyst at Eurasia Group.
He would assume the position at a time when the second-largest economy in the world is struggling. The release of China’s quarterly economic data was delayed without explanation last week.
#XiJinping, who will now not have to deal with opposing views, is going to take #China into an even darker era. It’s time for us to get ready for what #Xi last Sunday called “dangerous storms.” #CCP #HuJintao https://t.co/DpFwzZVXwA
— Gordon G. Chang (@GordonGChang) October 23, 2022
