Li Shengwu

Education and career

Li received a Bachelor of Arts degree in philosophy, politics and economics from the University of Oxford in 2009 and obtained a Master of Philosophy degree in economics from Oxford in 2011.

As a student, Li represented Singapore at WSDC 2003 and Oxford and Stanford's debating teams. His notable wins include European Universities Debating Championship 2009 open champion and 2008 open grand finalist; World Universities Debating Championship 2010 best speaker and open grand finalist; and HWS Round Robin 2012 champion.

Li joined, in 2016, Harvard Society of Fellows as a Junior Fellow.

Li received a Sloan Research Fellowship in 2023. Li is a member of the Lee family, which has produced two prime ministers of Singapore. Unlike his father and grandfather, Li uses the Hanyu Pinyin romanisation of the family surname (李), spelling it "Li" instead of "Lee."

After the death of Singapore's longtime prime minister Lee Kuan Yew in 2015, Li Shengwu's uncle Lee Hsien Loong, then-prime minister of Singapore, began sparring with his younger siblings, including Li's father Lee Hsien Yang, over the fate of 38 Oxley Road, the family home that Lee Kuan Yew left behind.

When the family dispute became publicized in 2017, Li made a private Facebook post complaining that "the Singapore government is very litigious and has a pliant court system". Li himself claimed that the charges were "politically motivated". The AGC offered to stop pursuing their lawsuit if Li agrees to issue an apology that admits contempt of court as well as making "false and baseless" statements. However, Li refused to apologize, stating that he has not committed any crimes. Li claimed that his parents would also be in danger if they return to Singapore because the authorities can detain them indefinitely without access to a lawyer.

Jewel Stolarchuk from The Independent Singapore observed that government-linked newspapers in Singapore, such as The Straits Times, have remained silent on Li's achievements such as receiving a Sloan Fellowship and obtaining tenure at Harvard University. Stolarchuk contended that the lack of coverage on Li's father's family members is due to the political pressure from the Singaporean government.