TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Former Chinese Premier Li Keqiang (李克強) died of a heart attack at the age of 68 on Friday (Oct. 27).

According to China's state-run Xinhua, Li had been vacationing in Shanghai. However, on Thursday (Oct. 26) he suffered a "sudden heart attack" and was declared dead at 12:10 a.m. on Friday after all efforts by doctors to resuscitate Li had failed.

Li served as premier from March 2013 to March 2023 and was the second-ranked member of the Politburo Standing Committee of the Chinese Communist Party from 2012 to 2022. He was considered one of China's more pragmatic leaders and famously said in 2007 that China's GDP figures in Liaoning were "man-made," unreliable, and for "reference only," according to a U.S. State Department memo revealed by WikiLeaks.

Li focused on three main data points to determine Liaoning’s economy: electricity consumption, rail cargo volume, and bank lending. This led to The Economist creating the Li Keqiang index which gave 40% weight to outstanding bank loans, 40% to electricity consumption, and 20% rail freight, per the Hedge Fund Journal.

However, as Chinese leader Xi Jinping (習近平) consolidated power, Li was sidelined. As he prepared to step down as premier, Li reportedly left a message with his staff that read: "While people work, heaven watches. Heaven has eyes," which was perceived to be a jab at Xi, per The Guardian.