China mourns death of former Premier Li Keqiang

By Anadolu staff

China is mourning the death of Li Keqiang, who will be cremated in Beijing on Thursday. He died of a heart attack last Friday in Shanghai at the age of 68.

As a mark of respect, the Chinese flag was lowered at half-mast at the Tiananmen Square, state news agency Xinhua reported.

Earlier, state media said national flags would also be lowered at half-mast at government offices around China and embassies and consulates abroad.

Li served as China’s premier from 2013 to 2023, and was a member of the all-powerful politburo of the Chinese Communist Party for a decade.

He was born in Hefei, Anhui province in 1955 and was married to Cheng Hong, a professor of English.

*Writing by Islamuddin Sajid