Censored Tribute to Former Chinese Premier Li Keqiang Fuels Speculation of CCP Infighting

Observers see the deletion as another signal of internal tensions between different factions of the CCP.

Chinese Premier Li Keqiang answers question during the regime's annual news conference following the closing session of the National People's Congress at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing on March 15, 2015. Feng Li/Getty Images

On July 3, the 70th birthday of the late Chinese Premier Li Keqiang, the Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP) top propaganda newspaper, People’s Daily, published an unusually lengthy memorial article, paying tribute to his life and political contributions.

Yet hours later, the same commemorative article was quietly deleted from the website of Qiushi, the CCP’s official theoretical journal, fueling speculation about internal power struggles within the Party. The timing of both the tribute and its sudden removal has drawn renewed attention to the highly suspicious circumstances surrounding Li’s death.

A Suspicious Death

Li, who served two terms as premier under Chinese leader Xi Jinping, died unexpectedly on Oct. 27, 2023, from what the regime claimed was a sudden heart attack while visiting Shanghai. At 68, he was the youngest former premier to die since the founding of the communist regime. His abrupt death, just months after retiring from public office, raised immediate suspicion, given previous reports of political rifts between Li and Xi.