How to Handle Xi Jinping: Li Qiang Has a Trick Li Keqiang Never Had

Li Qiang released the flood, submerging Xi Jinping's elite troops. (Illustration by People News)

[People News] Recently, Chinese Premier Li Qiang has been making headlines by standing in for Xi Jinping at the BRICS summit in Brazil, marking the first time in 12 years that Xi has missed the meeting. That Xi allowed Li Qiang to represent him shows the deep level of trust between them. So what exactly is Li Qiang’s secret weapon that has earned Xi’s favour?

On July 6, Li Qiang attended the 17th BRICS Summit in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, and delivered a speech during the first phase of the meeting on the topics of “Peace and Security, and Reform of Global Governance.”

This wasn’t the first time Li Qiang had represented Xi at a major international event. In 2023, he attended the G20 summit in place of Xi, which stirred considerable public discussion.

At the G20, several other countries also sent their prime ministers, and since the G20’s main focus is economics, it made sense for Premier Li Qiang, who oversees China’s economy, to attend as part of “economic diplomacy.”

However, Hong Kong media pointed out that even so, Li Qiang’s attendance was unusual. In Chinese political practice, diplomacy follows a strict protocol. Every such substitution is the result of careful calculation. "Why didn’t Xi attend the G20 himself and instead had Li Qiang represent him? This must be due to a range of considerations." What’s clear is that Li Qiang’s participation reflects Xi’s high level of trust and indicates that Li plays a vital political role.

Li Qiang previously served as Governor of Zhejiang, Party Secretary of Jiangsu, and Party Secretary of Shanghai — a rare résumé showing deep administrative experience in China’s economically vital Yangtze River Delta. When Xi Jinping served as Zhejiang Party Secretary (2002–2007), Li was his General Secretary, essentially Xi’s chief of staff. This relationship launched Li’s rapid rise.

Just two months after Xi became China’s top leader in 2012, he appointed Li as Governor of Zhejiang. Three years later, Li was promoted to Party Secretary of Jiangsu. In 2017, he became Party Secretary of Shanghai — traditionally a stepping stone to the Politburo Standing Committee. Xi himself followed this path.

Unsurprisingly, Li Qiang made a surprise leap at the 20th Party Congress, emerging as the second-highest-ranking member of the Politburo Standing Committee and later becoming Premier.

Independent political commentator Cai Shenkun recently analyzed on his YouTube program that although Li Qiang may lack the skills to govern a nation, he has a key advantage over his predecessor Li Keqiang: he understands politics — and more importantly, he is absolutely loyal to Xi. This, Cai argued, is why Xi trusts him so much.

Cai revealed that after the 20th Party Congress, even before officially taking office as Premier, Li Qiang visited the National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC), which was then headed by Xi’s loyalist He Lifeng. During the visit, Li Qiang asked some vague economic questions and was met with a dismissive attitude from NDRC Deputy Director Mu Hong, who answered him perfunctorily. Li Qiang reportedly fired back, “Are you saying I don’t understand economics? I may not, but I understand politics.”

Indeed, at the first full meeting of the State Council under his leadership, Li Qiang emphasized that the State Council is first and foremost a political organ. He stressed the need to fully grasp the “decisive significance” of the “Two Establishes” (establishing Xi as the core and his ideology as the guide), to strengthen the “Four Consciousnesses,” uphold the “Four Confidences,” and achieve the “Two Upholds” (upholding Xi's core status and the central leadership of the Communist Party). Li also declared, “This government’s job is to thoroughly implement and carry out the decisions of the Party Central Committee.”

Commentators at the time said that Li Qiang effectively reduced the State Council to a mere executor of Xi’s will — making himself more of a secretary than a prime minister.

Cai said that Li Qiang clearly identified his role from the beginning. By contrast, Li Keqiang never spoke in such terms in State Council meetings.

Cai also noted that Li Qiang is careful not to steal the spotlight — even his travel habits show this. Since becoming Premier, he has used the official government aircraft only once; otherwise, he travels by chartered flights. He leaves the VIP treatment exclusively to Xi to avoid appearing equal.

American author Robert Lawrence Kuhn, who met both Xi and Li Qiang in 2005 and 2006, noted that the two got along well. Kuhn told Reuters, “Unlike most other aides close to top leaders, Li Qiang is not just a background figure or decoration.” Kuhn added, “Li Qiang seemed comfortable and confident around Xi. He was willing to engage with me proactively, which showed he wasn’t worried about appearing to outshine his boss.”

Yet some observers say Li Qiang’s closeness to Xi is a double-edged sword. While it wins him trust, it also means he will always be submissive to the man who mentored and promoted him.

In 2023, when Hong Kong Chief Executive John Lee visited Beijing to report on his work, Li Qiang and other Politburo Standing Committee members joined the meeting with Xi — breaking a longstanding practice since the 1997 handover, where the Chief Executive would first report to the Premier and only later meet the President. Some analysts said this shows how little presence Li Qiang has compared to Li Keqiang — he is expected to be an even more subdued Premier.

(Originally published by People' News)