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development. However Li probably has reservations about the direction of present policy and was attacked indirectly through public criticism of the economic failures in the early seventies. He gradually withdrew from economic policy making, a process which received its public recognition in his resignation from the post of Vice-Premier in late 1980 and in the following years he seemed to be gradually eased out of the more crucial areas of decision- making and to be confined to Party matters and the development of the Party's international relations. This withdrawal was compounded by illness, which he himself confirmed in 1983, although he now appears to be in better health.
His appointment as President (a largely honorific post but nonetheless one which could provide a platform for the expression of opposition to current policies), although not expected at the time, pushed Li back into the forefront of the Chinese political scene. Some of his statements since becoming President are open to an anti-reform interpretation but they have not been stridently so and it is still unclear whether his appointment was willingly agreed by the reformists or whether it was as a result of conservative pressure.
As President, he has recently visited Spain, Portugal and
Malta.
Approximate pronunciation: Lee rhymes with See
Sien as in Sien (na)
Nyen rhymes with Pen
Form of Address:
"Your Excellency"
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