Xi Appoints Li Qiang as China’s Premier, Succeeding Li Keqiang

Li Qiang has been elected as China’s premier for the next five years, succeeding Li Keqiang, according to results announced during a national congress meeting Saturday morning. In the new role, he will lead the State Council, China’s cabinet, whose responsibilities include managing the country’s economic development.

The former Shanghai party secretary became the eighth premier since the People’s Republic of China was founded in 1949. Li Qiang’s nomination by Xi Jinping, who was reelected as president of the country on Friday, was approved by nearly 3,000 delegates of the National People’s Congress.