What Is the Real Purpose Behind People s Daily s Tribute to Li Keqiang

Tao Jingzhou, a classmate of Li Keqiang at Peking University, shared a student registration form from Li's time at the university on WeChat Moments, but it was not displayed. (Screenshot)

[People News] On July 3, People’s Daily published a lengthy tribute on page 6 to mark what would have been former Chinese Premier Li Keqiang’s 70th birthday. The article highly praised Li for his diligence and integrity. At the same time, other media and online users who posted tributes to Li Keqiang saw their content deleted or restricted from sharing. Some netizens questioned this contradiction, calling it a case of "officials allowed to light fires, while commoners may not light lamps." Given such contradictions, what is the real motive behind the authorities' high-profile tribute to Li Keqiang in the People’s Daily?

Although the People’s Daily article praised Li Keqiang for being hard-working, people-oriented, and morally upright, it ultimately framed him as a loyal Communist Party member who revolved around the “core” leadership of Xi Jinping.

Shortly after the article appeared on the website of Qiushi (Seeking Truth), the CCP’s official theoretical journal, it was mysteriously deleted. Clicking the article title now leads to a “404” error.

Sources say Chinese government agencies issued a notice banning the reposting of the article. On WeChat, sharing was restricted. Currently, only one WeChat public account, “Party History” (run by the CCP’s Party History Research Office), has retained the reposted article, which has garnered over 100,000 views.

A media outlet named "Family Legacy" published a photo-filled article titled “A Person’s Historical Journey” commemorating Li Keqiang’s political career. However, it was deleted by WeChat for “suspected violations of relevant laws and policies.”

On July 4, Li Keqiang’s former classmate, international arbitrator and lawyer at the French Court of Appeal, Tao Jingzhou, posted on X (formerly Twitter):
"Yesterday marked the 70th birthday of our classmate, former Premier Li Keqiang. The following information does not appear in WeChat Moments."

Tao had shared in his WeChat Moments a copy of Li Keqiang’s student record from his time at Peking University, along with the message:
"Li Keqiang's 70th birthday. 'Heaven is watching what people do.' 'The waters of the Yellow River will not flow backwards.'"

Later, Tao posted again on X, sharing a final photo taken with Li Keqiang at their alma mater, writing: “This was the last time we met. I had thought we’d often see each other after his retirement — I didn’t expect this would be our final farewell.” He added that this post also failed to display in his WeChat feed.

Tao Jingzhou was a law major in Peking University’s class of 1977. As Li Keqiang’s classmate, he was interviewed by former CCTV journalist Chai Jing 100 days after Li’s death.

While authorities restricted public tributes to Li Keqiang, the People’s Daily article remained prominently displayed and was not removed. Observers believe this article was strictly vetted and approved by the top leadership. The editor's note stated that the tribute followed official procedures, indicating high-level endorsement. Meanwhile, other public and media posts were restricted out of concern that lifting such controls might trigger another wave of public sentiment, like the outpouring of grief seen after Li Keqiang’s sudden death last year.

Looking closely at the People’s Daily tribute, the true purpose becomes clear: to praise Li Keqiang’s “noble character” in order to call for even closer unity around the Party Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping at its core. The article emphasized the need to fully implement Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era, and to deeply understand the significance of the “Two Establishes” (i.e., establishing Xi Jinping’s core status and the authority of his ideology), while enhancing the “Four Consciousnesses,” strengthening the “Four Confidences,” and achieving the “Two Upholds” (safeguarding Xi’s core position and Party authority).

The article mentioned “Xi as the core” six times, clearly conveying that the central message is about safeguarding Xi Jinping’s leadership. The true purpose of publishing this tribute to Li Keqiang has now become self-evident.

(First published by People News)