Li Keqiang (pinyin: Lĭ Kèqiáng; pronounced, born 1 July 1955) is the First ranked Vice-Premier and deputy party secretary of the State Council of the People's Republic of China, and the second ranked member of the CPC Politburo Standing Committee, the de facto highest decision-making body of the country. He is expected to become Premier in early 2013 when the full National People's Congress convenes and is expected to hold the position for two five-year terms. As Premier Wen Jiabao's top lieutenant, Li's official portfolio includes economic development, price controls, finance, climate change, and macroeconomic management. He is currently a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee, vice premier of the State Council and deputy secretary of its Leading Party Members' Group.
Li rose through the ranks of the Communist Youth League. From 1998 to 2004, Li served as the Governor of Henan and the province's CPC party chief, and then the Liaoning party chief, an office that made him first-in-charge in that province. Li is speculated as the likely successor to Wen Jiabao as Premier in the "fifth generation" (Xi-Li Administration) of Communist Party leadership.