BEIJING, Oct 23 (AFP) - Despite facing strong backlash for a chaotic two-month Covid-19 lockdown in Shanghai earlier this year — which saw residents denied access to food, water, medical care or other basic necessities while confined to their homes — the city’s party chief, Li Qiang, is expected to become China’s next premier in March after the incumbent Li Keqiang steps down.

It is the highest-ranking position in China after Xi Jinping.

Li’s presumptive appointment is seen as the latest proof that loyalty and affinity to Xi trumps all else in China’s current political landscape.

Li Qiang has previously worked closely under Xi in China’s southern economic powerhouse, Zhejiang province.