China’s new premier, Li Qiang, takes pro-private sector campaign on the road

In his first trip in the new job, Li targets embattled export and manufacturing sectors with stops in Guangdong and Hunan

He telegraphs the same message he sent more than a week earlier as he took on the role

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Chinese Premier Li Qiang visits electric car maker BYD during his trip in Hunan this week. Photo: CCTV

Published: 11:00am, 24 Mar 2023

Li Qiang has sought to reassure business of China’s plans to keep opening to the world and supporting the private sector in his first trip as the country’s new premier.

Li visited the southern export hub of Guangdong province on Thursday, according to sources familiar with the trip.

That followed a trip to the manufacturing powerhouse of Hunan province on Tuesday and Wednesday to visit companies such as electric car maker BYD and Apple supplier Lens Technology.

Ten days earlier as he faced the media for the first time as premier, Li was trying to send the same message to entrepreneurs in China and from overseas.

Li, 63, the second-ranking member of the Communist Party’s inner circle, the Politburo Standing Committee, has taken on the job of co-piloting China’s economic and social development as the country confronts a series of domestic and international challenges.

Besides weak consumer and private sector confidence at home, the country is grappling with faltering exports and escalating tensions with the United States and its allies.