Born in Hefei, Anhui province, in 1955, Li initially rose through the ranks of Chinese politics through his involvement in the Communist Youth League of China (CYLC), serving as its first secretary from 1993 to 1998.

From 2008 to 2013, Li served as the first-ranked vice premier[note 1] under then-premier Wen Jiabao, overseeing a broad portfolio which included economic development, price controls, finance, climate change, and macroeconomic management.

Initially seen as a candidate for becoming the paramount leader, Li instead assumed the post of premier in 2013, and facilitated the Chinese government's shifting of priorities from export-led growth to a greater focus on internal consumption.

Given his Youth League experience, Li was generally considered a political ally of former leader Hu Jintao and a member of the Tuanpai faction.

[3] Together with his classmates, he translated important legal works from English to Chinese, including Lord Denning's book The Due Process of Law.

[3] According to provincial officials working with him at the time, Li refused to participate in any banquets or large fancy events not related to government activities.

[20] While Li's political future seemed promising, he was outranked on the Standing Committee by Xi Jinping, who had just left his role as party secretary of Shanghai to join the central leadership ranks in Beijing.

[15] Li's portfolio as vice premier included economic development, government budgets, land and resources, the environment, and health.

[21] He also became the head of central commissions overseeing the Three Gorges Dam and the South–North Water Transfer Project, as well as the leader of steering committees in charge of health care reform, food safety, and AIDS-related work.

[citation needed] In addition, Li was the principal lieutenant to premier Wen Jiabao in the broad portfolios of climate change, energy, information technology, northeastern China revitalization, and developing the Chinese far west.

[citation needed] As vice premier, Li was instrumental in pushing through an economic stimulus program in 2008, which was aimed for the economy to rebound from the Sichuan earthquake as well as the Great Recession.

[23] In particular, Li briefed the WEF on China's commitment to sustainable development, green energy, decreasing the income gap and modernizing key strategic industries.

[23] While reiterating China's commitment to peaceful development and its focus in increasing domestic demand in the face of external pressures during the global financial crisis, Li also warned against protectionism, saying "opening up can be both bilateral and multilateral... in this sense, one plus one is more often than not bigger than two.

"[24] In February 2010, Li gave a speech to ministerial and provincial-level leaders about the importance of changing the economic structure of the country in order to be better poised for future growth.

Li said that China had come to a critical historical inflection point where a fundamental shift in the structure of the economy must take place in order for the country to continue its path of growth.

[30] On 16 March, the NPC appointed Zhang Gaoli, Liu Yandong, Wang Yang, and Ma Kai as vice premiers following their respective nominations from Li Keqiang.

[31] He gave his first major speech 17 March at the conclusion of the NPC, calling for frugality in government, a fairer distribution of income and continued economic reform.

When Li initially entered office, China was facing numerous structural problems inherited from the previous administration, namely the large abundance of non-performing loans that many of the giant infrastructure projects the country had embarked on since the global financial crisis was overloaded with crushing debt, lower than expected revenues, and the increasingly large wealth gap.

Likonomics consisted of a three-prong approach that included the across-the-board reduction of debt, an end to massive stimulus practices of the Wen Jiabao government, and structural reforms.

Li's government then responded with tax cuts for small businesses, renovation projects of poor urban areas, and another round of rail construction, particularly focused on the country's interior.

[37] Li encouraged the policy of "mass entrepreneurship and innovation", which sought to explore new avenues of economic growth, such as e-commerce, at a time when traditional models appeared to lose momentum.

In another case, he referred to a grassroots civil servant who asked for proof that a one-year old does not have a criminal record in order to deliver a government service.

[40] In yet another case, Li referred to a senior citizen applying for welfare benefits being forced by government employees to provide proof that "they are still alive."

The "deepening reforms" leading group was said to be encroaching on the affairs in the economic realm normally handled by the premier, and was seen as having the effect of reducing Li's institutional power.

[59] Li Keqiang died at Shuguang Hospital Affiliated to the Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine (上海中医药大学附属曙光医院) in Pudong at 00:10 CST on 27 October 2023 at the age of 68 after a heart attack the previous day.

[60][61][62] The South China Morning Post (SCMP) reported that the heart attack occurred as he swam at Shanghai's Dongjiao State Guest Hotel.

Attendees of the ceremony included Xi Jinping, his wife Peng Liyuan, Premier Li Qiang, all other members of the 20th Politburo Standing Committee, and Vice President Han Zheng.

[66][65]Li was married to Cheng Hong, a professor in English Language and Literature (especially American Naturalism) at the Capital University of Economics and Business in Beijing.