Beijing, Oct. 31 (EFE). – The remains of former Chinese premier Li Keqiang, who died of a heart attack last Friday, will be cremated in Beijing on Thursday, after several days of tributes to the politician in various parts of China and numerous comments about his figure were censored online.
Flags will fly at half-mast in official buildings across China, including Hong Kong and Macau, as well as in the Asian country’s embassies abroad, the official Xinhua agency reported today.
Thus, the protocol for Li Keqiang, whose remains were returned to Beijing on the same day of his death, is comparable to the protocol followed after the death of Li Peng, also a former prime minister, in 2019.
In China’s hierarchical system of formalities, only the most senior leaders are entitled to top honors, such as former President Jiang Zemin, who received a state funeral in December last year.
Chinese President Xi Jinping delivered the eulogy during the official memorial ceremony for Jiang Zemin.
In recent days, thousands of people gathered in cities associated with the late Li’s life and career to pay tribute to him and laid numerous flowers at sites associated with him.
At his previous residences in his home province of Anhui (east) and some parts of the city of Zhengzhou, capital of the central province of Henan, where he was governor, thousands of citizens came to honor him with flowers or with three bows afterward, according to local tradition.
Similar on the social network Weibo
Although the hashtag on Weibo about Li’s death reached 11.5 million views within minutes of learning of his death, many publications remained invisible after being subjected to a “filter” or “selection” as appropriate the platform.
The China Digital Times portal, founded at the American University of Berkeley, leaked some alleged instructions from the authorities to a Chinese media: “The comment sections must be well managed. We must watch out for ‘too effusive’ comments” about Li, who competed with Xi for the country’s leadership until 2012 and was considered more liberal than the current president.
The deaths of the country’s former leaders are often a moment of tension for the Chinese state apparatus, as the vigils and mourning of various officials in the past have sometimes served as a catalyst for discontent that crystallized into protests.
Li led China’s executive branch between 2013 and 2023, a period during which he remained in Xi’s shadow.
When he became prime minister, Li, who belonged to the most liberal wing of the establishment, was expected to promote China’s economic opening and reform, but his work and maneuverability became increasingly limited and increasingly overshadowed by Xi’s growing power. EFE
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