What qualities China seeks in a leader
In China, where accurate polling is rare, a peephole just opened into what qualities Chinese citizens most admire in a leader, hinting at a China ruled differently someday.
In both public displays of mourning and on social media, people have been paying tribute to a former premier, Li Keqiang, who died Friday just a year after being sidelined by Communist Party leader Xi Jinping.
Mr. Li鈥檚 popularity can be measured by the fact that a hashtag about him on Weibo, China鈥檚 second-largest social media platform, garnered more than 1 billion views in just a few hours after his passing. In contrast, China鈥檚 official media had his death as a distant item, even though he was once second in power. Security has also been tight to prevent mass gatherings, while censors worked hard to prevent 鈥渙verly effusive鈥� comments about Mr. Li and indirect criticism of Mr. Xi鈥檚 autocratic rule.
As head of the State Council, China鈥檚 Cabinet, for a decade, Mr. Li was widely seen as honest about China鈥檚 problems, compassionate toward people in crisis, and open to the innovations of private entrepreneurs. 鈥淗e stood for allowing more space for societal and market forces,鈥� Wen-Ti Sung, a fellow at the Atlantic Council Global China Hub, told the Financial Times.
Among the online tributes, many cited his comments after becoming premier in 2013: 鈥淲e will be loyal to the constitution, faithful to the people, and take the people鈥檚 wishes as the direction of our governance.鈥� He also said, 鈥淩eforming is about curbing government power.鈥�
Videos have been posted of Mr. Li鈥檚 visits to the scenes of disasters, even one showing him standing in deep mud to console people. His candor was remembered in comments he made in 2020 when he said China may be the world鈥檚 second-largest economy but some 600 million of its people still live on a monthly income of $150.
He also bemoaned dishonesty in China鈥檚 official statistics, even telling an American diplomat an alternative way to measure the Chinese economy (railway cargo volume, electricity consumption, and bank loans). That index is still widely used.
Born of humble origins but with degrees in law and economics from a prestigious university, he was an admired technocrat. Yet the tributes to him paint him as 鈥渢he people鈥檚 premier.鈥� Securing the party鈥檚 hold on power was not his top priority. In fact, he saw economic growth not in numerical terms but as bringing opportunities for people to 鈥減ursue excellence and moral integrity,鈥� as he once said.
鈥淟ife is invaluable,鈥� meaning immeasurable, according to Mr. Li. And by the praise now being given to him, his life could be a model for a future China.
