Chen Xitong
Li, along with Chen Xitong, was described as part of a group of conservatives who advocated for a military response to the student protests in Tiananmen Square in 1989, though Li himself did not play a public role in the official crackdown. As reported in the Tiananmen Papers, published in 2001, Li and Chen foreclosed the option of negotiating with the students by describing the protests as an "anti-party and anti-Socialist political struggle". In Beijing, the resulting military actions on the night of June 3–4, 1989 left many civilians dead or injured, with reported tolls ranged from 200 to 300 (PRC government figures) and to 2,000–3,000 (Chinese student associations and Chinese Red Cross).