SCMP, alumni of former Prime Minister Lee and others from all walks of life express condolences
As news broke that former Premier Li Keqiang of the State Council passed away from a heart attack on the 27th, voices of condolences continued from all walks of life in the Greater China region.
Hong Kong’s South China Morning Post (SCMP) reported condolences from all walks of life on the death of former Prime Minister Li, saying, “Diplomats, business leaders, and China experts from around the world expressed their condolences.”
According to the media, Tao Jingzhou, an international arbitrator and former Premier Li’s classmate at Peking University, said on “He was a human being, but it was so sudden that he left us.”
Also, citing the fact that former Premier Li was the first prime minister in Chinese history to receive a law degree and a doctorate in economics, he told the SCMP, “If there had not been reform and opening up and the resumption of the university entrance examination system, he would have been farming in the countryside of Anhui Province like me.” did.
Zhang Mingan, a law professor at Peking University and another classmate of former Premier Li, expressed his sorrow, saying, “It’s too sad to express in words.”
Regarding this, SCMP said, “Many people shared this response through social media (SNS), praising former Prime Minister Lee as a ‘people’s prime minister’ with an easy-going yet warm personality, consideration, and capable leadership.”
In Hong Kong, public officials also showed respect by wearing black ties. Tam Yi-chung, a member of Hong Kong’s National People’s Congress Standing Committee, said, “I was shocked and saddened,” and recalled, “Former Prime Minister Lee was very interested in Hong Kong issues and supported Hong Kong’s development.”
He also recalled meeting him in the elevator when he visited the Great Hall of the People in Beijing in the past, and recalled him as a ‘warm and down-to-earth person.’
Bert Hoffman, director of the East Asia Institute at the National University of Singapore, said they first met with Prime Minister Li when he was the Party Secretary of Liaoning Province, and then met several times as a member of the World Bank delegation when he was Deputy Prime Minister and Prime Minister.
He said, “Former Prime Minister Li had a high understanding of the Chinese economy and was well aware of what to learn from international best practices in economic management,” and added, “He was intellectually curious and very dedicated to China’s development.”
“Although it is a very small part (of the Chinese economy), the most impressive thing since the pandemic was that former Premier Li personally stepped forward and provided strong support for the so-called ‘street economy,’” said Tang Da-je, a senior researcher at the China Enterprise Research Institute in Beijing. “On the one hand, I had a sufficient understanding of economic reform and the macroeconomy, and on the other hand, I was concerned about the most fundamental issues related to the people’s livelihood.”
“He always paid close attention to the concerns of European companies in China,” the European Union Chamber of Commerce in China said in a statement. “He was a pragmatic and forward-looking person who attached great importance to the reform and opening of the Chinese economy.”
Meanwhile, the media reported that many people who had first-hand experience with former Prime Minister Li are sharing photos of former Prime Minister Li visiting the disaster site on Weibo, a social media platform.
These include a visit to Ya’an, Sichuan Province, immediately after the earthquake in 2013, and a visit to a hospital in Wuhan during the COVID-19 outbreak in late January 2020. Former Premier Li was the first high-ranking leader to visit Wuhan when the pandemic broke out.
Source: Donga
Mark Jones is a world traveler and journalist for News Rebeat. With a curious mind and a love of adventure, Mark brings a unique perspective to the latest global events and provides in-depth and thought-provoking coverage of the world at large.