Former Chinese premier Li Peng dies, aged 90
- Known in China as a ‘loyal communist warrior’, Li is also remembered abroad as the ‘Tiananmen Butcher’ for backing the crackdown on student-led protests in 1989
- Death of controversial politician prompts renewed calls for him to ‘be held accountable’ for bloodshed three decades ago
Li Peng, one of China’s most influential but controversial political leaders, died at the age of 90 in Beijing late Monday night, state media reported.
State news agency Xinhua described Li’s death as a great loss for the country, hailing him as a great communist leader and statesman. But human rights activists and dissidents called him a “sinner”, holding him responsible for the brutal crackdown on pro-democracy protesters in 1989, when hundreds of people, perhaps more than 1,000, died.
Li, the only Chinese leader who had served both as the country’s premier and chairman of the national legislature, wielded tremendous influence during his career. He died at 11.11pm on Monday but his death was only officially confirmed almost 20 hours later.
His legacy in both Hong Kong and mainland China remains hugely controversial.
Lau Siu-kai, vice-chairman of Beijing’s semi-official Chinese Association of Hong Kong and Macau Studies think tank, said Li was a “conservative reformist”.
