China has named Li Qiang, a close confidant of top leader Xi Jinping, as the country’s next premier nominally in charge of the world's second-largest economy. Li was nominated by Xi and appointed to the position at Saturday morning's session of the National People's Congress, China's ceremonial parliament. Li is best known for having enforced a brutal “zero-COVID” lockdown on Shanghai last spring as party boss of the Chinese financial hub, proving his loyalty to Xi in the face of complaints from residents over their lack of access to food, medical care and basic services. The premier's authority has been steadily eroding as Xi shifts more power to bodies directly under the ruling Communist Party.
