On February 23, 2023, Li Keqiang, the outgoing Premier of the Communist Party of China, shouted to the on-site personnel at the gate of the Development and Reform Commission to “remember the reform”. (Video screenshot)
[The Epoch Times, February 25, 2023](Reported by Epoch Times reporter Ning Haizhong) The outgoing Chinese Premier Li Keqiang, following inspecting the National Development and Reform Commission of the Communist Party of China, shouted at the door to “reform”. Li Keqiang has proposed reforms on many occasions recently, sparking heated discussions.
The Xinhua News Agency of the Communist Party of China reported that on February 23, Li Keqiang visited the National Development and Reform Commission of the Communist Party of China (referred to as the Development and Reform Commission) and the Ministry of Finance, and presided over a symposium. Han Zheng, Executive Vice Premier of the Communist Party of China, and He Lifeng, Chairman of the National Development and Reform Commission attended the meeting.
In his speech, Li Keqiang mentioned reform and opening up, a package of policies and follow-up measures to stabilize the economy, and so on.
A video that went viral on the Internet showed that when Li Keqiang left the Development and Reform Commission, a group of staff from the Development and Reform Commission lined up at the door to applaud and see him off. He shouted on the spot, “The driving force for development lies in reform.”
State media reports did not mention these words Li Keqiang said at the gate of the National Development and Reform Commission. The related video did not appear on Weibo, but it went viral on overseas Twitter, triggering comments from netizens:
Wu Wenxing: “Li Keqiang is regarding to retire. It may be the last public speech. He avoided the title of the last prime minister!”
H.AN: “He is a poor man. He was supposed to be the boss, but who knows that not only did he fail to be the boss, but he almost left himself with a bad reputation because of a group of pig teammates.”
Isabella: “The current practice should have removed the (Development and Reform Commission) brand! Or change it to: Never forget the original intention committee.”
Ah Qing: “Premier Li Keqiang’s heartfelt words are that without the reform of the political system, there will be no future development in all aspects.”
Daniel: “Speaking is the same as leaving a last word. If there is no basic disclosure of party affairs, speech development, and whom the National Development and Reform Commission listens to, you can figure it out with your feet.”
Ma Hu: “One talks regarding reform, the other talks regarding safety, and the two are talking once morest each other.”
LGZZMH: “He is also an incompetent person, the most he can do is to protect his own reputation.”
Kenny John: “If he really wants to do something, he won’t achieve nothing. The only thing left in the eyes of the Communists is profit.”
Glory to China: “First of all, in terms of level, Premier Li Keqiang can’t compare with Premier Wen. Secondly, Premier Li lives in the shadow, while Premier Wen has much more power. In short, I feel that Premier Li can’t let go. Fuck, very aggrieved. It’s all right now, go home to enjoy the rest of the day, the people in the stands are performing, and the demons are dancing wildly.”
After stepping down as a member of the Standing Committee of the 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China, Li Keqiang emphasized for the CCP to adhere to “reform” or “opening up” on many occasions at home and abroad. Among them, on November 4 last year, when Li Keqiang met with German Chancellor Scholtz, he said that China’s “open door will only open wider and wider.” When he visited Shenzhen in August last year, he shouted the slogan “The Yellow River and the Yangtze River will not flow backwards”.
Regarding what Li Keqiang said at the gate of the National Development and Reform Commission this time, the driving force for development lies in reform. Li Linyi, a current affairs commentator, told The Epoch Times on February 25 that this sentence seemed to point to Xi Jinping’s policy of “advancing the state and withdrawing from the private sector.”
Li Linyi said that Xi’s overall policy in governing the country is to “strengthen the party’s leadership.” Under this guiding ideology, the CCP will not have any substantive reforms. The so-called reform means that the more reforms are made, the more retrogressive it will become, and it will become more and more like the CCP in the Mao era, let alone any development.
He believes that Li and Xi have different economic ideas, and Li is more inclined to Western ideas. Therefore, Li’s statement that “the driving force for development lies in reform” this time can be considered as his last “exhortation” to Xi before leaving office.
Li Linyi also said, “There is still agreement among the interns and Li on protecting the CCP, so there is no need to have any hope for Li’s statement.”
However, there are also mainlanders who do not agree with the CCP’s reform and opening up.
A netizen @祥江评论 once tweeted: Kaikai has accumulated a lot of wealth over the past 40 years, and has become the second largest in the world in name, but the common people have no money, so where does the money go? This is beyond your imagination: First They all raised officials. The second is to spend a lot of money to maintain stability and raise a dog. Third, trillions of hard-earned money have been fed to wolves. Sprinkle a lot of money all over the world, just don’t give it to your own people. Like foreign colonists, eating up everything and leaving behind a lot of scars.
At the two sessions of the CCP (National People’s Congress and CPPCC meeting) to be held in early March, the State Council of the CCP will announce a new team.
Editor in charge; Li Muen
