The picture has cleared as to who will become China's next premier after&nbsp;Li Keqiang steps down in March next year. Reportedly, Communist Party of China (CPC) Shanghai chief Li Qiang followed President Xi Jinping onto the stage at the&nbsp;Great Hall of the People on Sunday as the curtains came down on the once-in-five-year party congress.&nbsp;

That Li walked behind Xi was enough to suggest that the Chinese president had finally picked his no. 2. According to domain experts, the Shanghai party boss has managed to leapfrog&nbsp;other much-qualified candidates, solely because of his personal history with Xi.&nbsp;

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/xis-new-military-appointment-can-spark-a-crisis-with-us-taiwan-reports-527907">Read more:&nbsp;Xi's new military appointment can spark a crisis with US-Taiwan: Reports</a>

Xi is extremely selective when it comes to who makes the close circle around him. And Li has been one of the few men that has followed Xi for the majority of his life. Their connection dates back to 2004 when Xi was CPC's&nbsp;Zhejiang province chief.

At the time, Li was his chief of staff or in more popular parlance, his right-hand man. The association lasted three years till 2007 when Xi left for Shanghai to pursue his national-level goals.&nbsp;

Xi, however, rewarded the loyalty of Li by making him the governor of&nbsp;Zhejiang and later, the party secretary of&nbsp;Jiangsu province. The move was aimed at granting Li the regional experience of managing the party so that when the time came for taking on bigger duties for Xi, he was prepared.&nbsp;

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/cheng-quanguo-architect-of-the-uyghur-genocide-ousted-from-chinas-top-leadership-body-527672" target="_blank">Read more: Chen Quanguo, architect of the 'Uyghur genocide', ousted from China’s top leadership body</a>

After Xi became the president in 2012, Li remained in touch with him. Up&nbsp;until 2017, Li even drafted and edited numerous speeches of Xi while accompanying him whenever he came to&nbsp;Zhejiang or&nbsp;Jiangsu.&nbsp;

In the same year, Xi gave another promotion to Li and brought him to Shanghai and made him the party chief pf the region.&nbsp;

Xi's trust in Li can be gauged from the fact that despite having a rather muddled policy regarding Covid in Shanghai, Li managed to receive the nod.&nbsp;

Read more:&nbsp;Shanghai imposes fresh restrictions as COVID-19 cases continue to rise

Experts believe that Li simply executed the orders passed along by Xi and weathered the criticism from the detractors, making him all the more loyal and indispensable to the CPC general secretary.&nbsp;

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/the-world-needs-china-says-xi-jinping-after-being-elected-as-the-general-secretary-527698">Read more:&nbsp;'The world needs China,' says Xi after getting third term as general secretary, at par with Mao</a>

However, unlike his predecessor&nbsp;Li Keqiang who had the courage to defy Xi on occasion, Li may have a hard road ahead as he owes his entire political career to the benevolence of Xi.&nbsp;

(With inputs from agencies) 
 
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The picture has cleared as to who will become China's next premier after Li Keqiang steps down in March next year. Reportedly, Communist Party of China (CPC) Shanghai chief Li Qiang followed President Xi Jinping onto the stage at the Great Hall of the People on Sunday as the curtains came down on the once-in-five-year party congress.

The picture has cleared as to who will become China's next premier after Li Keqiang steps down in March next year. Reportedly, Communist Party of China (CPC) Shanghai chief Li Qiang followed President Xi Jinping onto the stage at the Great Hall of the People on Sunday as the curtains came down on the once-in-five-year party congress. That Li walked behind Xi was enough to suggest that the Chinese president had finally picked his no. 2. According to domain experts, the Shanghai party boss has managed to leapfrog other much-qualified candidates, solely because of his personal history with Xi. Read more: Xi's new military appointment can spark a crisis with US-Taiwan: Reports Xi is extremely selective when it comes to who makes the close circle around him. And Li has been one of the few men that has followed Xi for the majority of his life. Their connection dates back to 2004 when Xi was CPC's Zhejiang province chief. At the time, Li was his chief of staff or in more popular parlance, his right-hand man. The association lasted three years till 2007 when Xi left for Shanghai to pursue his national-level goals. Xi, however, rewarded the loyalty of Li by making him the governor of Zhejiang and later, the party secretary of Jiangsu province. The move was aimed at granting Li the regional experience of managing the party so that when the time came for taking on bigger duties for Xi, he was prepared. Read more: Chen Quanguo, architect of the 'Uyghur genocide', ousted from China’s top leadership body After Xi became the president in 2012, Li remained in touch with him. Up until 2017, Li even drafted and edited numerous speeches of Xi while accompanying him whenever he came to Zhejiang or Jiangsu. In the same year, Xi gave another promotion to Li and brought him to Shanghai and made him the party chief pf the region. Xi's trust in Li can be gauged from the fact that despite having a rather muddled policy regarding Covid in Shanghai, Li managed to receive the nod. Read more: Shanghai imposes fresh restrictions as COVID-19 cases continue to rise Experts believe that Li simply executed the orders passed along by Xi and weathered the criticism from the detractors, making him all the more loyal and indispensable to the CPC general secretary. Read more: 'The world needs China,' says Xi after getting third term as general secretary, at par with Mao However, unlike his predecessor Li Keqiang who had the courage to defy Xi on occasion, Li may have a hard road ahead as he owes his entire political career to the benevolence of Xi. (With inputs from agencies) WATCH WION LIVE HERE:

Li Qiang, the man poised to become China's next premier

China&#39;s rubber-stamp parliament gave Premier Li Keqiang a second five-year term on Sunday, but he faces a tenure deeper in the shadow of the country&#39;s powerful leader Xi Jinping.

Li was re-appointed with 2,964 votes in favour and two against during the annual session of the National People&#39;s Congress at Beijing&#39;s Great Hall of the People, one day after Xi was unanimously given a second term.

Appointed in 2013 to oversee the day-to-day management of the world&#39;s second-largest economy, Li, 62, has seen Xi consolidate power, accumulate titles and surround himself with powerful allies.

In another sign of Li&#39;s diminishing stature in government affairs, Xi&#39;s former anti-graft buster and trade negotiator, the economist Wang Qishan, was appointed vice president on Saturday.

Xi has also turned to his top economic aide, Liu He, to deal with US trade frictions, dispatching him to Washington earlier this month, though it has not stopped President Donald Trump from considering new punitive measures against China.

For his part, Xi now has a clear path to ruling the country indefinitely as the parliament voted last week to abolish the two five-year terms limit for the president.

Li &quot;was sidelined from the premier&#39;s traditional economic policy bailiwick early on in his tenure,&quot; Jonathan Sullivan, director of the China Policy Institute at Nottingham University, told AFP.

&quot;The most influential figures around Xi are allies that he has manoeuvered into central positions,&quot; Sullivan said, referring to Wang and other officials.

&quot;That does not leave a lot of room for Li Keqiang to exert much influence, to the extent that his progressive marginalisation would not be a big surprise.&quot;

&#39;Subordinate position&#39; 
 
When he took office five years ago, Li promised &quot;fair treatment&quot; to foreign firms, a larger role for the market and structural reforms in favour of the private sector.&nbsp;

But the United States and Europe say foreign firms still face hurdles to break into and thrive in China&#39;s huge market, as they are forced to work in joint ventures with local firms and share their technology.

The EU Chamber of Commerce in China summed up the exasperation last year as &quot;promise fatigue&quot; -- a complaint that challenges Xi&#39;s image as a champion of globalisation.

Li&#39;s first term has also been marked by increasing concerns about China&#39;s growing debt load, which analysts warn could erupt into a financial crisis with global repercussions.

The government has rolled out a series of measures to prevent a financial calamity.&nbsp;

On Saturday, the parliament approved the biggest government shakeup in at least a decade, which includes the merger of the banking and insurance regulators to control risks.

&quot;(Li) is acquiescing to Xi&#39;s personalist power,&quot; said Sam Crane, a Chinese history expert at Williams College in the US.

While Li has not been completely sidelined, &quot;he has accepted a secondary, subordinate position,&quot; he said.

&quot;Li might still have some influence in terms of economic policy but that influence is premised on the prior recognition that Xi is the supreme leader.&quot;

 
&nbsp;

China's rubber-stamp parliament gave Premier Li Keqiang a second five-year term on Sunday, but he faces a tenure deeper in the shadow of the country's powerful leader Xi Jinping

China's rubber-stamp parliament gave Premier Li Keqiang a second five-year term on Sunday, but he faces a tenure deeper in the shadow of the country's powerful leader Xi Jinping. Li was re-appointed with 2,964 votes in favour and two against during the annual session of the National People's Congress at Beijing's Great Hall of the People, one day after Xi was unanimously given a second term. Appointed in 2013 to oversee the day-to-day management of the world's second-largest economy, Li, 62, has seen Xi consolidate power, accumulate titles and surround himself with powerful allies. In another sign of Li's diminishing stature in government affairs, Xi's former anti-graft buster and trade negotiator, the economist Wang Qishan, was appointed vice president on Saturday. Xi has also turned to his top economic aide, Liu He, to deal with US trade frictions, dispatching him to Washington earlier this month, though it has not stopped President Donald Trump from considering new punitive measures against China. For his part, Xi now has a clear path to ruling the country indefinitely as the parliament voted last week to abolish the two five-year terms limit for the president. Li "was sidelined from the premier's traditional economic policy bailiwick early on in his tenure," Jonathan Sullivan, director of the China Policy Institute at Nottingham University, told AFP. "The most influential figures around Xi are allies that he has manoeuvered into central positions," Sullivan said, referring to Wang and other officials. "That does not leave a lot of room for Li Keqiang to exert much influence, to the extent that his progressive marginalisation would not be a big surprise." 'Subordinate position' When he took office five years ago, Li promised "fair treatment" to foreign firms, a larger role for the market and structural reforms in favour of the private sector. But the United States and Europe say foreign firms still face hurdles to break into and thrive in China's huge market, as they are forced to work in joint ventures with local firms and share their technology. The EU Chamber of Commerce in China summed up the exasperation last year as "promise fatigue" -- a complaint that challenges Xi's image as a champion of globalisation. Li's first term has also been marked by increasing concerns about China's growing debt load, which analysts warn could erupt into a financial crisis with global repercussions. The government has rolled out a series of measures to prevent a financial calamity. On Saturday, the parliament approved the biggest government shakeup in at least a decade, which includes the merger of the banking and insurance regulators to control risks. "(Li) is acquiescing to Xi's personalist power," said Sam Crane, a Chinese history expert at Williams College in the US. While Li has not been completely sidelined, "he has accepted a secondary, subordinate position," he said. "Li might still have some influence in terms of economic policy but that influence is premised on the prior recognition that Xi is the supreme leader."

China's parliament gives Premier Li second term

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Li Qiang, the man poised to become China's next premier

China's parliament gives Premier Li second term