Former Chinese Premier Li Keqiang died from a sudden heart attack on Thursday while he was "resting" in Shanghai, reported BBC citing state media. He was 68. He retired last year and was said to be the second most powerful man in the ruling Chinese Communist Party.
State broadcaster CCTV said that Li passed away ten minutes past midnight on Friday despite "all-out efforts" to revive him. Li rose through the party ranks despite not having any power base, and at one point was even pegged for the top role of president.
According to BBC, Li was a trained economist and was initially given the reins of the Chinese economy. However, the report added that several analysts have said he became increasingly sidelined towards the end of his career as Chinese President Xi Jinping started to gather power around himself. In fact, in his final term, Li became the only incumbent top official who was not a part of Xi's loyalist group, reported BBC.
He was seen more aligned to the former leader Hu Jintao who was taken off stage at last year's Party Congress on the President's order.
The policies that Li focused on were primarily aimed at reducing the wealth gap and providing affordable housing.
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As per BBC, Li's death is widely being mourned online with people on social media saying that it felt like losing "a pillar of our home."
Talking about Li, Bert Hofman, a professor at the National University of Singapore told the BBC, "He was a very enthusiastic open man who really strove to get China ahead and facilitated open dialogue with people from all walks of life."
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