Li Qiang

Li Qiang (Chinese: 李强; pinyin: Lǐ Qiáng; born July 1959) is a Chinese politician who has been serving as the eighth and current premier of China since March 2023. He has been elevated to the second-ranking member on the Politburo Standing Committee of the Chinese Communist Party in October 2022. From 2017 to 2022, Li was the party secretary for Shanghai, where he pursued pro-business policies and handled the response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Li is considered part of the "New Zhijiang Army", the party faction of Xi Jinping, the CCP general secretary and top leader since 2012. The close relationship started in the mid-2000s when both held party positions in Zhejiang Province. Li is generally regarded by observers as pro-business and has voiced support for economic reforms.