Sound Bites

"General impression of Li at the news conference: Serious, attentive, disciplined. Leaders who are comfortable in their own skin, exposed to other cultures and languages, and well educated in a discipline make better leaders."

Douglas Paal, Vice-president for studies at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, a Washington think tank

"Li Keqiang's solid education in law and economics equips him with the knowledge a leader needs. Li is the first Chinese premier with a legal background. His rich experience is also a huge advantage, having worked as head of China's largest agricultural province, Henan, and the large industrial province of Liaoning. Li is a uniter who can rally people around him."