Li Keqiang

"You (medical staffs who attend to COVID-19 patients treatment) are trying every means to save lives. When you are putting your efforts to save lives, you have to protect yourselves too."

"(We, the Government of China) must provide better support for fighting and controlling the (COVID-19) outbreak, while safeguarding the normal order of the economy and society."

"Provincial officials have long been suspected of overstating growth. Adding their figures together suggests that China's economy was $364 billion bigger in 2009 than the total in the national accounts. Mr Li preferred to track Liaoning's economy by looking at other indicators: the cargo volume on the province's railways, electricity consumption and loans disbursed by banks."

"Li had long been seen as the most likely candidate to succeed Hu Jintao as China's president and party general secretary. But Xi, an elder dark-horse candidate, came from behind to win the race."