Li Keqiang, a Communist Chinese leader with a 'human face'

Former premier's death leaves Beijing watchers wondering what might have been

20231027 Li Keqiang Communist Party Secretary of China's northeastern Liaoning province

Li Keqiang, then the Communist Party secretary in China's northeastern Liaoning province, visits an orphanage in June 2007. The late former premier had an unusual reputation for openness and closeness to regular people. © EPA/Jiji

KENJI KAWASE, Nikkei Asia chief business news correspondent

HONG KONG -- In late 2014, less than two years into his job as China's premier, Li Keqiang flew to Bangkok to attend a summit on regional economic cooperation.

As an editor stationed there at the time -- and well aware that Chinese state leaders are extremely difficult to access at home, but their guard tends to be lower on the road -- I saw an opportunity to ask him a question.

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