Li Qiang, 63, was appointed Prime Minister of China on Saturday. Li is the former party chief of Shanghai. He oversaw the lockdown in that city last spring, which lasted two months. Li was named successor to outgoing Prime Minister Li Keqiang at a meeting of parliament.
Almost all the votes of the more than 2,900 delegates at the National People’s Congress went to Li. The day before, Xi Jinping was unanimously elected to a third term as president. China has both a president and a prime minister.
Li received 2,936 votes in favour, three deputies voted against his nomination and eight abstained.
The newly elected prime minister was born in Rui’an, a city in eastern Zhejiang province. He rose in the local government hierarchy and became Xi’s chief of staff when he was party chief of Zhejiang.
In 2017, Li was appointed party secretary of Shanghai. In his new role as prime minister and head of the State Council, he is responsible for the day-to-day running of the country and for the government’s economic policy.
