FILE - Then Chinese Premier Li Keqiang waves during a press conference after the closing session of the National People's Congress in Beijing's Great Hall of the People on March 15, 2019. Former Premier Li Keqiang, China's top economic official for a decade, died Friday, Oct. 27, 2023 of a heart attack. He was 68. (AP Photo/Ng Han Guan, File)
Oct 27 (Reuters) - Below are reactions to the death on Friday of Chinese former Premier Li Keqiang:
ADAM NI, INDEPENDENT CHINA POLITICAL ANALYST, AUTHOR
"Li was a premier who stood powerless as China took a sharp turn away from reform and opening."
DALI YANG, POLITICS PROFESSOR, UNIVERSITY OF CHICAGO:
"The scope for Li's policymaking and implementation had became more subordinated under President Xi Jinping, who had unabashedly dominated in politics and policy making, relegating Li to playing second fiddle.
"Xi had significantly overshadowed Li, leaving him with less room for initiative than past premiers."
CHEN DAOYIN, INDEPENDENT CHINESE POLITICAL ANALYST, CHILE:
"Li was someone with ideas but no solutions. He did not achieve much as premier. This is partly his own doing and cannot all be blamed on Xi.
"When he first came in power 10 years ago, he had many ideas, such as encouraging entrepreneurship, but no good plan on how to implement them. When these ideas failed to materialise, his power was gradually taken away from him, and he became the most powerless premier in four decades."
WEN-TI SUNG, POLITICAL SCIENTIST, AUSTRALIAN NATIONAL UNIVERSITY:
"Li's sudden death definitely came as a surprise, as he was merely 68. Top level Chinese leaders have a track record of longevity - both of Li's last two living predecessors, Premier Zhu Rongji (95) and Premier Wen Jiabao (81), outlive him.
"Li will probably be remembered as an advocate for the freer market and for the have-nots. But most of all, he will be remembered for what could have been."
NEIL THOMAS, FELLOW, ASIA SOCIETY POLICY INSTITUTE'S CENTER FOR CHINA ANALYSIS:
"Xi will likely respect party tradition and lead public mourning for Li, as he has no reason to anger Li’s colleagues and supporters in the party, whose waning political influence is further weakened by his death.
"Xi may allow some public mourning for Li but will likely have zero tolerance for attempts to use Li’s death to oppose his leadership."
RICHARD MCGREGOR, SENIOR FELLOW, LOWY INSTITUTE, SYDNEY:
"The reformist era ended a long time ago. I don't think there is any correlation to Hu Yaobang (a political reformer whose death sparked mass mourning and the Tiananmen Square protests) and no heavy symbolic significance attached to Li's funeral.
"It's a shock because he's relatively young in a system which provides the best healthcare for its leaders."
YUN SUN, DIRECTOR, STIMSON CENTER, WASHINGTON:
"Li has been seen as the representative of the reformists. But during his ten years as the premier, China saw the regression of many policies."
CHONG JA IAN, POLITICAL SCIENTIST, NATIONAL UNIVERSITY OF SINGAPORE:
"I would not rule out the possibility that a mass mourning triggers some protest, given how there is a degree of unease in the PRC (People's Republic of China) currently...
"The fact that there is so much speculation on Li’s cause of death shows a degree of uncertainty and distrust, that reflects unease over the opaqueness and arbitrariness of the top (Communist Party) leadership, as seen with recent sudden and unexplained removals of leaders.”
JOSEPH TORIGIAN, STANFORD HOOVER HISTORY LAB, X POST:
"The passing of a senior Chinese political figure can be a complicated and challenging moment for the leadership. Protests after the deaths of popular former deputies like Zhou Enlai and Hu Yaobang show why. The immediate task facing the Chinese leadership will be to come up with an obituary that pleases Li’s family (which is not always easy, especially if the family is unhappy about something), suits the regime’s political agenda, and does not inflame popular sentiment."
MALCOLM TURNBULL, AUSTRALIAN EX-PRIME MINISTER, X POST
"I always found Premier Li to be a charming and constructive counterparty who was not tied to the official talking points and engaged candidly and thoughtfully on the big issues of the day."
HIROKAZU MATSUNO, JAPAN'S CHIEF CABINET SECRETARY
"Former Premier Li Keqiang played an important role in Sino-Japanese relations, including his official visit to our country during the trilateral summit between Japan, China and South Korea in May 2018. We hereby offer our sincere condolences and prayers for former Premier Li Keqiang."
EUROPEAN UNION CHAMBER OF COMMERCE IN CHINA, STATEMENT:
"The European Chamber is deeply saddened by the passing of former Premier Li Keqiang, who was an important interlocutor for the foreign business community. He was a pragmatic, forward-thinking man who placed great importance on the reform and opening of China’s economy. On the occasions that the European Chamber had the privilege to meet with him, he always paid close attention to the concerns of European companies operating in China."
(Reporting by Reuters newsroom; Compiled by William Mallard) - Reuters
