This relative of President Xi Jinping, who has just obtained a new five -year term, succeeds Li Keqiang, in post since 2013.
Le Monde With AFP
Li qiang, considered one of the trusted men closest to Xi Jinping, was appointed on Saturday March 11, new Prime Minister of China, the day after a third term of the Chinese president.
XI Jinping, 69, obtained a new five -year mandate from China President on Friday, after a unanimous vote of the Parliament, the culmination of an ascent which saw him become the leader more powerful in the country for generations. The Parliament being, in practice, subservient to the Communist Party (PCC) in power, the outcome of the ballot was no doubt.
Saturday during another vote of the deputies gathered at the Palais du Peuple in Beijing, Li Qiang, the only candidate for the post of Prime Minister, obtained 2,936 votes for, three against and eight abstentions. This 63 -year -old man, former leader of the Communist Party in Shanghai, whose image had been somewhat tarnished in the spring during the chaotic containment of his city, succeeds Li Keqiang, in post since 2013.
The Chinese Prime Minister heads the Council of State. Its function is traditionally associated with the daily management of the country and the conduct of macroeconomic policy. Li Qiang, who had been propelled to the rank of number two of the Communist Party (CCC) in October, has no experience at the central government level, unlike almost all the ex-ministers.
complicity with XI
, however, he has completed a long journey within the local administration and has taken on major management functions in the rich coastal provinces of Zhejiang (East) and Jiangsu (East). Li Qiang was the chief of staff of Xi Jinping when he was at the head of the party in the Zhejiang between 2004 and 2007. His promotions, fast since, reflects the high level of confidence that the Chinese number grants him.
Saturday at the People’s Palace in Beijing, Xi Jinping and Li Qiang appeared accomplices at the time of the vote, exchanging kinds with a smile. Li Qiang takes office at a time when the second economy in the world faces a clear slowdown, weakened by almost three years of an inflexible political so -called “zero covid”. For 2023, the government has set itself a target of “approximately 5 %” GDP growth, one of the weakest for decades.
Outgoing Prime Minister, Li Keqiang, a training economist, had seen his projects of economic reform hampered by the growing authority of Xi Jinping. On Saturday, the deputies also appointed Zhang Youxia and He Weidong as vice-presidents of the Central Military Commission (of which Xi Jinping is president), Zhang Jun inherited from the post of president of the Supreme Court. Liu Jinguo for his part becomes the head of the National Supervision Commission, the organization which deals with the fight against anti -corruption.