Li Keqiang, the former Chinese premier who spent almost a decade as No 2 to leader Xi Jinping, has died at the age of 68, state media has reported.

Mr Li suffered a sudden heart attack on Thursday and died in Shanghai on Friday, according to state broadcaster CCTV. 

“Comrade Li Keqiang, while resting in Shanghai in recent days, experienced a sudden heart attack on Oct 26 and after all-out efforts to revive him failed, died in Shanghai at 12.10am on Oct 27,” CCTV reported.

Mr Li was a key member of the Chinese Communist Party and served as the second-highest ranking member of the party’s politburo between 2012 and 2022.

During that time he was China’s top economic official and played an important role in both the market reforms that have pushed China to the brink of global economic superiority, and the political changes that have helped to consolidate the power of the Xi regime.

He was widely seen to have been sidelined by Mr Xi and pushed out of the role in 2022.

Educated at the elite Peking University, Mr Li was once viewed as a Party leadership contender but was increasingly ostracised by Mr Xi in recent years. 

He memorably said in 2020 that over 600 million people in China earned less than the equivalent of $140 (£115) per month, sparking criticism of the country’s poverty and income inequality. 

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