Former Chinese premier Li Keqiang dies of heart attack

Oct. 27 (UPI) -- Li Keqiang, the former longtime premier of China before abruptly stepping down in March, died on Friday in Shanghai, local media said. He was 68.

Community Party of China officials said Li died of a sudden heart attack Friday morning after "[an] all-out rescue efforts failed." The party called Li "an excellent CPC member" and an "outstanding proletarian revolutionist."

As Chinese premier for a decade, Li guided the world's second-largest economy through some of its most challenging periods, including the COVID-19 pandemic and its trade war with the United States.

Despite his loyalty to the party, Li faced headwinds later in his run as opinions differed over China's economic challenges.

"[Li] was the only member of the Politburo Standing Committee to have openly advocated for the continuation of [former leader] Deng Xiaoping's open-door policy, which ran counter to the instincts of [Chinese President] Xi Jinping," said Willy Lam, a senior fellow at the Jamestown Foundation think tank in the United States.

On China's highly restrictive social media, the hashtag about Li's death had been read almost 700 million times on Weibo. Most of the reports expressed shock and condolences for the former premier.

An economist by trade, Li was born in Anhui province and joined the Communist Party in 1976 after graduating from Peking University with degrees in economics and law. He was appointed vice premier in 2008 and was re-elected in November to the powerful Politburo Standing Committee.

He became premier at 58 succeeding Wen Jiabao.