Xi ally Li Qiang becomes China's new premier

• Li is widely expected to implement the top leader's core agendas, but he will have more sway over the country's economic policies including reviving China’s economy after three years of COVID restrictions, analysts say.

State of play: The 63-year-old Li is perceived by many as a pro-business pragmatist who supports the continued growth of the private sector.

• However, unlike previous premiers, Li had never held office at the national level before being elected to the Chinese Communist Party's top leadership last fall.
• He replaces Li Keqiang, who retired after two five-year terms as premier.

Details: Li and Xi's relationship dates back to the early 2000s when Li served as the party secretary of Wenzhou, a coastal city in Zhejiang province known for its entrepreneurs. He later served as Xi's chief of staff when the future president was the Zhejiang party chief.

• "Officials know that Li Qiang is Xi Jinping's guy," Trey McArver, cofounder of consultancy Trivium China, told Reuters. "He clearly thinks that Li Qiang is a very competent person and he has put him in this position because he trusts him and he expects a lot of him."