Li was a member of the Politburo Standing Committee of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), China's top decision-making body, between 1989 and 2002.

Li served as Chairman of the 9th National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) from 1993 to 2003; before that, he was the CCP secretary of Tianjin.

Since this post has been held by some of the most prominent revolutionary elders, it is spoken of "noble and sacred" by reverent observers.

During his tenure of office as Tianjin mayor, he actively supported institutional restructuring, focusing attention on improving urban housing and public transport conditions.

In 1989, he became a member of the Politburo Standing Committee with Jiang Zemin and Song Ping, and became the chairman of CPPCC in 1993.