Chinese gather and lay flowers despite heavy security as former Premier Li Keqiang is laid to rest

By CHRISTOPHER BODEEN and KEN MORITSUGU
Associated Press

HEFEI, China (AP) — Hundreds, possibly thousands, of people have gathered near a state funeral home in Beijing as China’s former second-ranking leader, Li Keqiang, was put to rest. Crowds also gathered in Li’s hometown in the central city of Hefei, laying a mound of bouquets in front of his childhood home. Li, who was China’s top economic official for a decade, died last Friday of a heart attack at age 68. He was an advocate of private business who helped navigate the world’s second-largest economy through rising tensions with the United States and the COVID-19 pandemic. But he was left with little authority after President Xi Jinping made himself the most powerful Chinese leader in decades.