Flags at half-mast as China mourns late premier

The Chinese flag at a gate to the Zhongnanhai leadership compound flies at half-mast in memory of late former Chinese premier Li Keqiang, in Beijing on Nov 2, 2023. - Reuters

BEIJING (AFP): Flags flew at half-mast in Beijing on Thursday (Nov 2) as China readied the funeral of late ex-premier Li Keqiang, a reform-minded bureaucrat once tipped as the country's future leader but who was eclipsed by Xi Jinping.

Li, an economist and fluent English speaker, died from a sudden heart attack in Shanghai last week at the age of 68, just months after stepping down as the country's second-ranked leader.