Li Qiang: Xi Jinping, China’s president, nominates next premier

Xi Jinping has nominated Li Qiang, 63, to become premier during the ongoing annual meeting of China’s rubber-stamp parliament, the official Xinhua news agency has reported.

Li Qiang will replace Li Keqiang, who became premier in 2013 amid high hopes he would usher in liberal reforms. But his power was curbed by Xi, who increasingly sidelined Li Keqiang and placed allies in key strategic positions over him.

China’s Liu Jinguo was nominated as a candidate for director of the National Commission of Supervision on Saturday, which oversees the government’s anti-corruption work, Xinhua reported.

Separately, Zhang Jun was nominated candidate for the president of the supreme people’s court, and Ying Yong was nominated candidate for procurator-general of China’s supreme people’s procuratorate.

With Reuters