He is a member of the Australian Labor Party (ALP) and was elected to the New South Wales Legislative Assembly at the 2022 Strathfield state by-election.
[2] He is the son of George and Pansy Li, Hong Kongers who first met while living in the same apartment block in Wan Chai.
[3] While living at Maroubra Beach, Li attended Sydney Grammar School because his father's business soon made the family independently wealthy.
[2] On returning to Sydney he founded Professional Search Pty Ltd, working as executive director of the legal and accounting digital services platform.
In 2005 Li was appointed general manager of sales and marketing for the newly acquired IAG subsidiary China Automobile Association in Beijing.
[10] Many of Yatsen Associates' clientele have interests in oil, natural gas, clean energy, coal, and agricultural businesses in China and Central Asia.
Li is an advisory board member of think-tank China Matters[16] and is the current president of the Chinese Australian Forum[17] since 2019.
[21] Li was elected to the 1998 Australian Constitutional Convention as a republican delegate from New South Wales, running as a candidate for "A Multi-Cultural Voice".
[22] He came to notice as "a young, eloquent advocate for an Australian republic",[3] describing the monarchy as an "elitist, sectarian, sexist institution, completely out of touch with modern Australia".
[23] He appeared in the national media to advocate a "Yes" vote at the 1999 Australian republic referendum, despite the opposition of some republicans to the final model chosen.
[23] Li was asked by prime minister Kevin Rudd to run as the Labor candidate for the seat of Bennelong at the 2013 federal election even though he did not live in the electorate.
[26] His selection came late in the campaign, following the withdrawal of original ALP candidate Jeff Silvestro-Martin due to an ICAC anti-corruption investigation.